PRESS RELEASE from Southwest Voter Registration Edcuation Project

For Immediate Release
August 26, 2011 Contact: Lydia Camarillo

SVREP announces nonpartisan campaign to raise Latino voting in Texas to 2 million in 2012

“Through Latino Vote 12n12, SVREP will help increase Latino turnout in Texas to an unprecedented 2 million votes cast in 2012,” said Lydia Camarillo, SVREP National Vice President

“In 2008, Latinos cast 1.7 million votes, but in 2012 given the likelihood of Gov. Rick Perry’s Republican nomination for President, a hot US Senate Race in Texas with a Latino Democratic aspirant, as well as many new opportunities for Latinos to elect candidates of their choice for Congress and state legislature across Texas we expect significant electoral motivation from Latinos in Texas,” Camarillo continued.

“Texas gained 4 new congressional seats, and, after the litigation process concludes we expect the courts will remedy the current congressional and House maps to increase the political strength where Latino can elect candidates of their choice in 9 seats, compared to the current 7 congressional seats, and 3 more state house seats,” concluded Camarillo, SVREP Vice President.

These optimum conditions will give the SVREP sponsored Latino Vote coalition fertile ground to work helping to significantly raising Latino electoral participation to 2 million votes cast and 2.8 million registered in 2012. SVREP has targeted Dallas-Fort Worth, Harris, Bexar, Travis, El Paso and South Texas for its efforts.

Founded in Texas in 1974 by the late William C. Velásquez, SVREP is America’s largest and oldest non-partisan, nonprofit, 501(c)3 Latino civic engagement organization. SVREP has registered 2.5 million Latinos across the southwest and southeast, trained over 100,000 leaders, thousands of whom have served as elected officials.

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