Group Targets New Wave of Minority Voters
Washington D.C. – The Reform Immigration FOR America campaign and its colleague organizations have begun a major escalation of its efforts to increase voter participation among Latino, Asian and immigrant voters. Throughout this weekend and until the midterm elections, volunteers across the country will be encouraging immigration reform supporters that are eligible to vote, to register and march to the polls on Election Day. Immigrant and Latino voters are an important and growing share of the American electorate and political candidates who fail to recognize the growing importance of winning their vote will undermine their campaigns. According to a recent report by the Immigration Policy Center, as of 2008, one in ten of all registered voters in the country are “New Americans”, naturalized U.S. citizens and the children born to immigrants in the U.S. since 1965. Events scheduled for this weekend include phone banking, canvassing, candidate forums, press conferences and a debate featuring business magnate Bill Gates. Listing of Events: Arizona: Promise Arizona Sunday, October 16: Signing people up at churches for the permanent early vote list and launching evening canvasses Arkansas: Arkansas Reform Immigration FOR America with Arkansas LULAC October 16: Phone banking and training for 300 volunteers in Fayetteville and Little Rock California: CHIRLA and NAKASEC Friday, October 15: Voter registration drive and voter education at Mariachi Plaza in Los Angeles Friday, October 15: GOTV press conferences in San Diego and Santa Barbara CHIRLA Action Fund (sister organization of CHIRLA) Saturday, October 16: Press Conference and Door knocking in Santa Barbara, CA CHIRLA October 15 & 16: Voter forum and canvassing targeting new citizens and Latino voters, Van Nuys Friday, October 15: GOTV press conference in San Francisco San Francisco Bay Coalition for Immigration Reform Friday, October 15: Press Conference Contra Costa Interfaith Supporting Community Organization (CISCO) and PICO Saturday, October 16: Voter registration Contact: Polo Morales apolonio@ccisco.org Colorado: Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC) October 15-17: Canvassing four Colorado counties as part of a three-month effort to mobilize more than 65,000 voters Illinois: Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights Saturday, October 16: Immigrant Democracy Day: Illinois gubernatorial and senatorial candidate forum and voter march Sunday, October 17: Waukegan Candidates Forum Maine: Maine People’s Alliance Canvassing, social media push for a new online ballot request form on the secretary of state’s website, ride to the polls program for early voting at city hall Maryland: CASA in Action (sister organization of CASA de Maryland) October 15, 16 and 17: Canvassing and phone banking Nevada: PLAN Saturday, October 16: Early voting day rally and phone banking Reno, Las Vegas Poder San Francisco Saturday and Sunday, October 16 and 17: Volunteer canvassing Contact: Mario DelaRosa- mdelarosa@planevada.org New York: Immigrants Vote! Campaign (coordinated by the New York Immigration Coalition) Friday, October 15: Voter registration and voting machine demonstration, Jackson Heights Saturday, October 16: Voter registration and voting machine demonstration, Long Island Monday, October 17: Voter registration at the Federal Courthouse, Central Islip Monday, October 17: Press conference for Immigrants Vote! Campaign, New York Monday, October 17: Voting machine demonstration by the NYC Board of Elections, Brooklyn North Carolina: Latin American Coalition Saturday, October 16: volunteer training on phone banking and canvassing and phone banking 4938 Central Ave. Suite 101, Charlotte, NC 28205 Contact: Ruben Campillo- rcampillo@latinamericancoalition.org Ohio: Ohio Organizing Collaborative- Mahoning Valley Saturday, October 15: Canvassing and Phone banking in Cincinnati Oregon: CAUSA Oregon Friday, October 15: Mailing GOTV postcards to 7,000 registered Latino voters Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition (PICC) Friday, October 15: Phone Banking 2100 Arch Street, Philadelphia Contact: Molly Harrar at piccadmin@paimmigrant.org Tennessee: Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition October 16, 23, 30 and November 2: Canvassing Washington: OneAmerica Executive Director Pramila Jayapal will appear with Bill Gates, Sr. at an event in support of I-1098, a statewide initiative for public health and education funding. The event’s goal is to inform and inspire ethnic communities to vote in the general election. 4:30 to 7 p.m. PT 5023 Rainier Avenue South Seattle WA 98118 October 15 and 17: Intensive canvassing targeting immigrant voters in Seattle, Vancouver, Yakima, Kennewick, Pasco, Tacoma and Walla Walla. Wisconsin: Voces de la Frontera Action Saturday, October 16: Canvassing and phone banking
