Feel Good Friday - Voto Latino Foundation

With US elections coming up in less than two months, we’re going to spend the next few Feel Good Fridays focused on voter education and election-related organizations, beginning with the Voto Latino Foundation.

Started in 2005, Voto Latino is “a grassroots political organization focused on educating and empowering a new generation of Latinx voters, as well as creating a more robust and inclusive democracy.” With 32 million Latinx people eligible to vote in 2020, Voto Latino has a goal of registering 500,000 new voters before the November elections. As of this posting, they’re halfway there!

The Voto Latino website is full of resources, and starts by answering the question, why vote? Vote to elect candidates that care about the same issues you do, to get Latinx representation in politics and to create an inclusive, accountable government. And if those reasons aren’t enough, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez would like a word. Watch AOC here.

 

Once inspired, Voto Latino helps people get ready to vote by providing information on registration, early voting, mail-in ballots and voting rights. They also explain why knowledge is power. “In addition to knowing your rights, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with common voter suppression tactics. Remember – if our votes didn’t matter, they wouldn’t be trying so hard to silence us.”

 

Once registered, it’s time to familiarize yourself with the issues. Voto Latino has detailed information on the following topics: healthcare, police brutality, paid sick leave, environment, gun violence prevention, immigration, fair pair, reproductive justice, education, student debt, voting rights and the census. Whew! I’m going to bookmark this page for my own voter education.

 

If you’d like to support the work of Voto Latino you can get involved by organizing a virtual event, registering friends and family to vote or becoming a volunteer. You can also make a donation and spread the word on social media by liking the Voto Latino Facebook page and following them on Twitter @votolatino. 

 

Let’s all get registered and ready to vote!