Survey Questions Fresno Council Candidate’s Age, Sikh Faith — Opponent Condemns It

A questionnaire sent to District 7 voters two weeks ago asked whether candidate Nav Gurm’s “religious background or traditional cultural attire, such as a turban” would affect their willingness to vote for him. The 26-year-old attorney and practicing Sikh called the survey problematic but said he’s not behind it.

Gurm’s opponent in the race, Ariana Martinez Lott, condemned the survey. “It doesn’t matter who the attack is against, for me I stand against it; I stand against any kind of racist acts towards anybody include my opponent,” Martinez Lott said.

The SurveyMonkey poll, which has since closed, included 18 questions ranging from Gurm’s age to his Sikh faith and ethnicity. Gurm identified the sender as Political Opinion Research, a Michigan-based firm that describes itself as a phone-based data-gathering operation. ABC30 found inconsistencies on the firm’s website, including font changes and spelling errors.

When asked whether he commissioned the survey himself to gain political attention, Gurm said no. “Every dollar I spend on behalf of my campaign is publicly disclosed. We haven’t spent any money on research,” he said. “I think, fair question but absolutely not. I’m well above that.”

Gurm, a Fresno native, said the survey tested his toughness. “There’s not a lot that people can say about me that would bother me,” he said. “My religious attire has never been raised as a concern. I’m proud of my Sikh faith, proud to be a Sikh American.”

The Breakdown

• The survey went to District 7 voters approximately two weeks ago via SurveyMonkey
• It asked 18 questions, including whether Gurm’s “turban” or “religious background” would affect voters’ willingness to support him
• Political Opinion Research, the firm Gurm identified as the sender, is listed as Michigan-based with a website containing formatting errors and spelling mistakes
• Both candidates in the race have publicly addressed the survey — Gurm denying involvement, Martinez Lott condemning it as racist

What This Means for You

District 7 voters will decide this City Council seat in under 50 days. The survey’s existence — and the question of who paid for it — is now part of the campaign record. Gurm’s campaign finance disclosures are public record if you want to verify his claim that his campaign hasn’t paid for opposition research.

What You Can Do

The election is scheduled for less than 50 days out — voter registration and absentee ballot deadlines will fall within that window.

What to Watch

Gurm’s denial that his campaign paid for the survey is verifiable — his finance reports are public. If no expenditure for opposition research shows up, the question becomes who did commission it. Gurm called the survey problematic; Martinez Lott called it racist.