As reported by Buzzfeed last night, several organizations from across the political spectrum are using Hispanic Heritage Month to register more U.S. Latino voters before this year’s 2014 midterm elections.
Latinos2014 is a new online registration site. According to the group’s press release, the “online voter registration campaign in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month” includes “more than 50 partners.” The “Hispanic Heritage Month of Action” was formed to promote how “our collective voice will ensure elected officials no longer ignore us or the issues that impact the Latino community.”
The release continues:
Hispanic Heritage Month of Action relies heavily on digital and social media assets, along with ground components in key states, including outreach to young Latinos who have reached voting age. The initiative is led online by Voto Latino, on the ground by Mi Familia Vota in key Latino states, and nationally with partners, including the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, ImpreMedia, Entravision, Liberman Broadcasting, Cosmo Latina, Being Latino, Alliance for Citizenship, Latino Victory Project and others. Voto Latino Chairwoman Rosario Dawson, Voto Latino Artist Coalition co-Chairs America Ferrera and Wilmer Valderrama, and Latino Victory Project co-founder Eva Longoria are also lending their voices to the campaign, which runs through October 15, the last day of Hispanic
Heritage Month.
Here is the full list of participating organizations and individuals:
Buzzfeed wrote the following last night:
The coalition is unprecedented for the number and scope of groups involved, from the expected advocates and activists to media companies, business consortia and arts nonprofits.
Monday, the day the coalition launches, also marks the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month. “This month is not only about celebrating our heritage,” said Maria Teresa Kumar, president and CEO of Voto Latino, a decade-old organization dedicated to increasing voter participation among Latinos. “It is about recognizing the power of our votes.”
Voto Latino and Mi Familia Vota cobbled the partnership together in the week since Obama announced he would delay action on slowing deportations. Kumar and other Latino leaders saw this as a move on Obama’s part to sweep immigration reform under the rug for the midterm elections, so they decided to react. “We’re saying that we’re not going to let immigration reform not be an issue for this election,” she said. “Because, at the end of the day, 2014 is a platform for 2016.”
It also noted:
The number of Latinos who said they were registered to vote grew 18% between 2008 and 2012, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. However, some 40% of eligible Latinos are still not registered, and voter turnout rates for Latinos lag behind other groups.
The site makes no mention of President Obama’s recent decision to delay any executive order on immigration relief. It does contain several assets to promote the campaign, a general toolkit and link to Rock The Vote. Besides media organizations such as ImpreMedia and Entravision, Fox News Latino and Mundo FOX are also participating in the campaign. In an ironic twist, Media Matters for America, a frequent critic of Fox News and Fox News Latino, is also part of the campaign.
