Chicanos Por La Causa efforts encourage people to vote

This show focuses on Chicanos Por La Causa’s voter outreach drive, which is aimed not only at the midterm elections, but seeks to engage voters well beyond that. Joe Garcia is the executive director of Chicanos Por La Causa Action Fund.

Why was the voter campaign encouraging Latinos to vote important?

Chicanos Por La Causa’s voter campaign ‘Latino Loud’ was a $10 million effort to encourage not only Latinos to vote, but others who may not have ever voted before or have voted in the last election. According to Garcia, targeting the Latino vote is important because the Latino community has traditionally low turnout in elections.

This includes ensuring that people continue to vote in future elections, Garcia said.

“Our voice needs to be heard, not just in elections, because that’s important, because we need to make sure we are heard at the ballot box, because our vote is our voice, but also that we are heard throughout the electoral process and after the election, that we follow through with what our issues are being addressed, and issues that need to be heard.”

Do you have a plan to keep in touch with Latino voters after the election?

“We’re starting here in Arizona, we have operations in five states: Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, also California. We’re looking to continue to grow our voter outreach. Because we know that if we continue on, that Latino empowerment is so important, but it has to grow.”

Garcia also stressed the importance of reaching out to younger eligible voters. The median Latino age is 26, he said, and younger voters see the political system differently than older voters.

“We’ve found that, especially younger voters are particularly disillusioned with the two-party system, and many of them are starting to register as independents. Not going straight Rs, and not going straight Ds.”

“For us, the most important thing is that people vote, doesn’t matter if you’re Republican, Democrat, Independent or other, it’s just important that the Latino voice is heard at the ballot box.”