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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Camila Gallardo
Office: (305) 573-7329
Cell: (305) 215-4259
cgallardo@nclr.org
MIAMI—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 its new national civic engagement campaign, Mobilize to Vote, which includes on-the-ground programs in Florida, Colorado, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Texas, California, and North Carolina. Voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts will include direct contact with potential registrants and voters through canvassing, service providers and community organizations, and digital platforms.
“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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