This week, a coalition of the nation’s leading Latino organizations announced a groundbreaking voter registration drive that will make every effort to increase Latino voter turnout to unprecedented levels during the upcoming November midterms. The month-long drive, which purposefully coincides with Hispanic Heritage Month, was spearheaded by two nonpartisan groups, Voto Latino and Mi Familia Vota and is using the hashtag #PowerOfOurVote to raise awareness about the campaign.
Voto Latino President and CEO Maria Teresa Kumar said, “We are calling [on] American Latinos to rise above our political differences and to unite as a community this November.” Kumar continued, “for the next month, we will show that Latinos stand tall because we have pride in our culture, and we recognize the power of our vote.”
Although the coalition of over 50 Hispanic organizations is certainly cognizant of widely held notions about historically low Latino voter turnout during midterm elections, the group is confident that this will not be the case during these elections. Latino voters are still projected to play a key role in determining the outcome of a number highly contested races throughout the country this year.
While many Latino activists were angered by President Obama’s decision to delay executive action on immigration until after the midterm elections, the coalition noted that this setback was just one of many examples of the importance of voting in order to ensure that the community’s voice is represented electorally. Yandary Zavala, Voto Latino’s communications manager said, “This campaign is needed in our community. A lot of people were frustrated after that announcement, and it’s OK to be frustrated, but instead of just stewing we need to do something about it.”
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