As the November midterm elections inch closer, actor and activist Wilmer Valderrama has been unequivocal in his message to the Latino community – Latinos must vote during the elections to avoid, “taking a back seat again.” The El Rey Network star has been quite vocal about his disappointment regarding President Obama’s decision to delay executive action on immigration, but reminded Latinos that they have a responsibility to participate in these pivotal elections that will likely determine the future of immigration reform in the coming years.
Valderrama acknowledged that when the president announced his intent to delay action, “it was a dark day for all of us.” He also noted that Latinos “are starting to see that it can’t be just the president fighting the battles. Unless you have the right people to fight these battles, it’s just not going to get done.”
The actor currently works with Voto Latino, a non-partisan organization that seeks to empower and mobilize Latino Millennials to take ownership of their civic duty and vote. As the organization’s Artist Coalition Co-Chair, Valderrama has been instrumental in spreading awareness about the importance of participating in all elections, not just presidential elections. Furthermore, Voto Latino has registered thousands of new Latino voters which will certainly play a key role in determining the victor or the country’s most competitive races.
He asserted that Latinos will ultimately determine the future of both political parties given the community’s sheer strength in numbers and desire to participate in our nation’s electoral process. Valderrama’s overarching message to Latinos is to “Make sure anyone in your family who is eligible to vote goes out and represents their household, your family and themselves.”
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