PRESS RELEASES from National Council of La Raza

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April 19, 2012                                                                       Camila Gallardo

NCLR MOBILIZE TO VOTE CAMPAIGN TO REGISTER TENS OF THOUSANDS OF SOUTH FLORIDA HISPANICS 

MIAMI, Fla.—Today, NCLR (National Council of La Raza) launched its South Florida Mobilize to Vote (M2V) campaign, an effort aimed at registering Hispanics in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties for the upcoming 2012 elections.  Florida is poised once again to play a decisive role in the national elections, and the much sought-after Latino vote will no doubt heavily influence those results.  The cornerstone of the M2V campaign is bridging the gap for Hispanics who are eligible but have not yet registered to vote. 

 

“Among the three counties where Mobilize to Vote will focus its efforts in South Florida—Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach—there are over 133,000 eligible Hispanics who have yet to register to vote, an incredible number when you consider the tight vote margins we’ve witnessed in recent elections,” said Natalie Carlier, South Florida Regional Coordinator for NCLR’s Civic Engagement department.  “That’s why this region of the state is such an important focal point of our campaign,” continued Carlier.

 

NCLR recently announced the new national campaign which will, in addition to South Florida,  focus its efforts on Orlando, Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Denver and Pueblo, Colorado; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania—all critical electoral swing states.

“While we are focused on registering Hispanics for the upcoming election, ultimately what we want to see as a result of our efforts is sustained participation in the civic process.  We want Hispanics to have proportional influence on our political system.  While we are more than 50 million strong, there is still a large gap between those who are eligible and those who register, as well as between those who register and those who actually turn out to vote,” said Carlier.

 

In addition to registering voters, M2V will also engage in voter education, providing important information to Latinos on the issues that affect the community most, and in voter mobilization—turning Latinos out on Election Day.

 

 “It is important that Hispanics participate; if we want to have a voice in the process and if we want to help influence the development of local, state, and national policies, then we have to become informed and involved,” concluded Carlier.

 

Mobilize to Vote plans to register approximately 80,000 new Hispanic voters in Florida. 

 

 

NCLR—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans.  For more information on NCLR, please visit www.nclr.org or follow along on Facebook and Twitter.

 

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April 17, 2012                                                                       Camila Gallardo

NCLR LAUNCHES MOBILIZE TO VOTE CAMPAIGN IN ORLANDO

ORLANDO, Fla.—Today, NCLR (National Council of La Raza) kicked off its central Florida Mobilize to Vote (M2V) campaign, an effort to register thousands of eligible Hispanics to vote in the upcoming general election.  Last year’s Census results demonstrate that Florida is no exception to the national Hispanic growth trend; in fact, central Florida’s Hispanic numbers have grown by 70 percent, nearing 900,000 in the I-4 corridor, a region that has become an important political stop for those campaigning for national office.  The Latino growth rate in Florida has also distinguished it as one of only nine states to actually gain congressional seats in this new round of redistricting.
 
“Hispanics have experienced tremendous growth in numbers, but to ensure that we are also growing our influence in local, state, and national politics, we have to increase our participation in the electoral process,” said Yanidsi Velez, Central Florida Regional Field Coordinator for NCLR’s Civic Engagement department.  “In Florida, it is estimated that there are approximately 800,000 Latinos who are eligible yet haven’t registered to vote—those are the folks we want to reach.”
 
“Our ultimate goal is to create a culture of civic engagement in the Hispanic community where there is a realization that if we don’t engage in the process, if we don’t vote, if we don’t participate, then we don’t have a say on the decisions that get made on the issues that most affect the Latino community,” continued Velez.
 
The goals of Mobilize to Vote go beyond voter registration.  M2V will educate voters on issues of importance to the Hispanic community and mobilize them to the polls on Election Day.  The participation continuum, along with the campaign’s direct voter contact model, is what makes M2V unique in its approach.  The campaign will conduct full-scale operations in Orlando and Miami, Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Denver and Pueblo, Colorado; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania—all critical electoral swing states.
 
“As we look to the 2012 elections, we know Hispanics will play a critical role in Florida and beyond.  But how much we influence the decision-making comes down to ensuring that we register as many Latinos as we can and then make sure that we turn out in significant numbers,” concluded Velez.
 
Voter registration will continue until the state deadline in late September.  The M2V campaign will then focus its efforts on turning Latinos out to the polls for early voting and Election Day in November.
 
NCLR—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans.  For more information on NCLR, please visit www.nclr.org or follow along on Facebook and Twitter.
 
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March 22, 2012                                                                       Camila Gallardo

NCLR LAUNCHES NATIONAL MOBILIZE TO VOTE CAMPAIGN
Seeks to register and turn out thousands of Latinos for 2012 elections

Washington, D.C.—Today, NCLR (National Council of La Raza) launched its Mobilize to Vote (M2V) campaign, one of the country’s largest Hispanic-focused civic engagement efforts working to register and mobilize 180,000 Latinos to vote on Election Day this coming November.

“Latino voters have left their mark in previous elections and will be a critical factor in 2012,” said Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO.  “There is a lot at stake for Hispanics in terms of the issues our community cares most about:  the economy, immigration, education, and health care.  Through our work to expand this electorate, we hope to see both parties meaningfully reach out to Latino voters and work to advance real solutions to the nation’s most pressing challenges.”
 
“As the largest minority group and fastest-growing population, Latinos will help determine the outcome of local, state, and national races.  Given increasingly tight election margins, this influence will be felt not only in places with significant Latino populations, but also in states not traditionally associated with this community.  In 2008, for example, the number of Latinos who voted was larger than the margins of victory in North Carolina and Indiana,” noted Clarissa Martínez De Castro, NCLR Director of Civic Engagement. 
 
NCLR’s Mobilize to Vote campaign includes plans for field canvassing operations in Florida, Nevada, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey; a service provider program working with NCLR Affiliates to register eligible Latinos in additional states, including California, Texas, and North Carolina; and a digital program offering online registration and voter education tools to Latinos nationwide.  Registration efforts will primarily focus on door-to-door canvassing and community-based events.  Mobilize to Vote will engage the Hispanic community at all stages of the electoral process, from registration, to voter education and protection, to mobilization to the polls.  The campaign is part of a comprehensive effort that goes beyond the 2012 election, and promotes a continuum of civic engagement, helping eligible immigrants become citizens, citizens become voters, and the community overall engage in policy debates. 
 
“While our population numbers have grown tremendously, it is critical that we continue to turn that population growth into real political influence,” added Murguía.  “Latinos are an asset to shaping a national agenda that benefits all Americans.  The only way to do that is to have our community informed and engaged in critical issues and debates, and registered and voting on Election Day.”

 

NCLR—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans.  For more information on NCLR, please visit www.nclr.org or follow along on Facebook and Twitter.

 

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