Nationwide advocacy organization launches campaign to reach Latino voters

The National Latino advocacy organization Hispanic Federation is partnering with local groups to launch a statewide campaign in North Carolina.

The effort, La Voz de mi Gente, or "The Voice of my People," is focused on getting the Latino community in North Carolina registered to vote for the upcoming elections and inform the community on the importance of voting in the midterms. 

The organization has partnered with local businesses frequented by Latinos, like Compare Foods and Casa Azul of Greensboro, in order to boost community trust and to spread information in both Spanish and English to new of-age Latino voters.

Anai Santibañez, the civic engagement program manager for Hispanic Federation, says they saw the need for a Latino-centric campaign in the state in order to build trust with constituents and get them to the polls. 

"A lot of Latinos feel that their voices are rarely ever heard," says Santibañez. "I think it's important to remember how, during election season, candidates are going out and speaking to Latinos, but when election season is done, they're not there. So we have to remember that we always have to go to our community, we always have to talk to them."

Santibañez says this is not an effort that will end once the midterms are over, since a lot of the efforts put in motion rely on getting the Latino community's trust, and that requires staying in touch even after the elections.

Spanish information about midterm elections is available at all of the organizations that are in the partnership.