Latino voters in their late teens through mid 30’s could help determine the outcome of this year’s presidential election. In order to maximize voter involvement, several organizations have developed apps and websites to reach out to this potentially powerful voting bloc to encourage them to participate in this year’s election.
The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) partnered with mitú on Latinos Vote, a voter registration website and mobile app. Users learn their state’s voter registration requirements and “after a few simple swipes, you can print and mail your completed application,” according to the NCLR website. Latino millennials — defined as the generation born between 1981 and 1996 — make up 44 percent of eligible Hispanic voters, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. By comparison, 39 percent of the white population, or only four in 10, are millennials.
Voto Latino, a non-profit whose mission is to empower American Latino millennials, announced its Brave initiative earlier this year. The campaign features VoterPal, an app that enables individuals to register family and friends through ID-scanning technology. “Brave recognizes this unique moment and empowers this generation to define our future this election. It’s not about a candidate – it’s about us as Americans and our democracy,” Voto Latino President and CEO Maria Teresa Kumar said in a statement.
Another app, Unidos, was developed by Feet in 2 Worlds in partnership with the design firm L+R. Unidos, available for download on iPhones, offers a news feed in both English and Spanish as well as custom emojis and videos. “Unidos came out of the work we’ve done during the past two presidential elections where we focused on campaign coverage by immigrant journalists from the perspective of immigrant voters,” said John Rudolph, executive producer of Feet in 2 Worlds, the nonprofit news website and public radio content producer. “It was in 2008 that I first became aware of the potential power of Latino voters to shape the election’s outcome, as well as the historic pattern of low Latino voter turnout.”
Yanet Velazquez, 21, of Gainesville, Georgia, said she is “actively engaged on social media” to learn more about local and state elections and the presidential election. “I want to make my friends aware of the things that are occurring in our communities,” said Velazquez, who is Mexican American. She said the Unidos app is a great way to engage younger voters.
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