Latino Vote

The Latino vote is not new in American politics but it has certainly captured the attention of political parties and candidates like never before. The modern phenomena of the Latino vote was popularized during the 1960 presidential election of John F. Kennedy. "Viva Kennedy" clubs sprouted up throughout the Southwest and in other states with growing Latino populations including Illinois. Since that time two national organizations have been created for the sole purpose of registering, educating, and getting Latinos to vote. They are the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, established in 1974 and now based in Los Angeles, and the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute (formerly the Midwest Voter Registration Education Project), established in 1982 and now based in Chicago. There are literally hundreds of multi-service organizations currently involved in registering Latinos to vote, but only two have been created for the sole purpose of empowering Latinos through the electoral process.

History

Thousands of nonpartisan voter registration campaigns have been organized and conducted over the last 30 years. The methods most commonly used most commonly used to register voters during the 1970s and 1980s included door-to-door, rallies, festivals, churches, and at government agencies. In the 1990s methods were expanded to include motor-voter. In this decade technology has made it possible for more people to get involved in registering voters without ever leaving home.

Technological Advancements

Make your computer a partner in registering people to vote. Join with USHLI to register more Hispanics to vote in your community and to explain and transmit voter information through the Internet. Registering and educating new voters through the Internet is now possible because of the National Voter Registration Act and is valid in all 50 states.

By utilizing the Internet, you can make sure that your family, friends and neighbors have all the information needed to register to vote and to know where to vote. Research has found that the requirements and procedures for registering to vote are not as well known or understood in the Latino community as compared to other communities. You can help level the playing field for your family, friends and neighbors by using your computer to access all the registration and voting information they need.