If your neighbor leaned over the garden wall one day and said, “Hey, I’m just dropping by the local Hare Krishna temple to vote, wanna come?” you’d probably do a double take.

But that’s exactly what 2,000 locals in Berkeley, California do at least twice a year.

“Poll officers for Alameda county usually choose a school or church to host their polling stations,” says ISKCON Berkeley Co-Temple President Rajahamsa Dasa. “But back in 2005, they just dropped by our temple and liked what they saw. I discussed it with the other devotees, and everyone thought it was a good idea.”

The polling station, located in the temple lobby, is used for California propositions as well as for presidential elections. Providing this service for the 500 – 600 families in their area helps ISKCON Berkeley build good relations with their local community. “We supply tables, chairs, prasadam such as pakoras and herbal tea, background devotional music, and a display of Prabhupada’s books,” says Rajahamsa. “Voters and poll officers like coming here, because they know they’ll be treated very well.”

Voters snap up the food and often books too; those who don’t may face inspirational campaigning by the poll officers. “One woman was looking at our display of prasadam, so a devotee asked if she’d like to try some,” Rajahamsa recalls. “When she declined, one of the poll officers insisted, ‘Come on, try some! It’s excellent!’ ”

Recently ISKCON Berkeley’s polling station attracted some media attention, with Yahoo! News running a photo of the unique location on “Super Tuesday” as part of their coverage of the presidential primary.