Coalition aims to register Latino, Asian voters
ANNA M. TINSLEY
Star-Telegram.com
Jul 14, 2008
From marches and debates to the voting booths.
Latino leaders hope to corral the enthusiasm in recent years from Latinos, Asians and immigrants who have made their voices heard over recent immigration issues and propel that into greater voter registration and turnout this November.
The We Are America Alliance, a new nationwide coalition of organizations, is targeting 13 states including Texas with the hope of registering more than 1 million new Latino and Asian voters across the country.
"It’s an historic opportunity to help shape the future of the country," Erica Bernal, senior director of civic engagement with the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, said in a conference call Thursday.
What it is
The effort to register 500,000 new Latino, Asian and immigrant voters in time to vote this November targets 13 states, including Arizona, California, Illinois, New York and Virginia, with special attention paid to voters under 25, newly naturalized citizens and infrequent voters. Members plan to knock on doors, make phone calls and send out mailers.
Who it is
The groups involved include NALEO, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, Center for Community Change, Democracia U.S.A., Mi Familia Vota Education Fund, the National Council of La Raza and the National Capital Immigration Coalition.
How they’ll do it
The groups will coordinate to register voters at naturalization ceremonies, offer citizenship classes and reach out to new voters. For instance, Claudia Hogue, the Houston director of civic engagement for NALEO, said her group aims to register about 2,000 new voters in Texas each month. They’ll call potential voters and especially look at high school juniors and seniors of voting age. "We will continue to bring awareness and register new voters," she said.
Cost
The overall effort is expected to cost about $10 million, being raised mostly by affiliated organizations, Bernal said.
The slogan
My Vote, Our Future: Millions Standing Up for the American Dream
Voter excitement
"This is a perfect storm for Latino civic engagement, with the enthusiasm from immigration marches, the effect of the immigration debate," Bernal said. "Nationally people are feeling the effect of the economy, the war in Iraq, healthcare. People are ready for change. . . . Just like every other American, they are feeling the best way to do that is to participate and help elect the next president, the next city council member, the next school board member."
Texas voters
In Texas, 5.4 million Hispanics are of voting age. There are 2.1 million Hispanics registered to vote — about 40 percent of all registered voters, U.S. census records show.
