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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:
September 11, 2012 Camila Gallardo
(305) 573-7329/cell: (305)215-4259
cgallardo@nclr.org
On the heels of political conventions, NCLR’s Mobilize to Vote campaign makes renewed push for Latinos to register
WASHINGTON, D.C.—On the heels of the Republican and Democratic conventions, NCLR (National Council of La Raza) announced today that it has registered over 65,000 Latinos to vote in the upcoming 2012 elections through its Mobilize to Vote (M2V) campaign, a multi-state effort aimed at encouraging Latino civic participation. M2V has focused its efforts on registering eligible Latinos to vote and providing forums for discussion and exchange on issues important to the Latino community, including housing, jobs, immigration, and health care, through a series of webinars and town halls held in cities across the country. As voter registration deadlines near, M2V is making an important push to encourage Latinos to register in time.
“We’ve been encouraged thus far by what we’ve been able to accomplish in registering eligible Latino voters, but we still have work to do,” said Clarissa Martínez-De-Castro, NCLR Director for Civic Engagement and Immigration. “The post–political convention period is the time when people really start to focus on the impending election, so we hope that we are able to reach a significant number of Latinos between now and the registration deadline.”
Mobilize to Vote is registering voters in California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Texas through canvassing operations and partnerships with NCLR’s Affiliate network. A web portal at www.nclr.org/register expands that reach nationally by allowing potential voters to register online.
“The Latino vote has incredible potential to shape the political landscape and the tone of policy debates; we want to encourage the community to get informed about the issues, register, and turn out to vote. It’s really the best way to help influence policies that affect our everyday lives and to have a real voice in the process,” concluded Martínez-De-Castro.
NCLR has also launched the online Mobilize to Vote Challenge, where users can gain rewards for helping to register friends and family, at www.nclr.org/challenge. Those interested in joining the campaign can also text POWER to 62571.
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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