BB&T, Democracia U.S.A. Join Drive to Turn out Latino Vote
By Caroline Stauffer

It is no secret that the Latino vote has earned the attention of many politicians, including the current presidential candidates, but a number of organizations are also working to encourage Hispanic political participation in a nonpartisan way.  Voto Latino and Democracia U.S.A. are national, nonpartisan initiatives encouraging Hispanic voter turnout.  The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) and The Leauge of United Latin American Citizens (Lulac) have placed political participation at the forefront of their advocacy causes on behalf of the Hispanic population.  

Raphael Collazo, national deputy director of Democracia U.S.A, urged Hampton Roads Hispanics to remain civically engaged, and to pay attention to important regional contests in the upcoming months.    "It is imperative for us to continually have our community be civically engaged and have the tools to be engaged in the electoral process," he said over the phone from New Jersey. 

Collazo said registering to vote is the first step to civic engagement.  He pointed out that voters who have already registered to vote must update their addresses after a move, even if they have changed addresses within the same state.   "If someone moves, for example, from Richmond to Norfolk, they should let voting supervisors know about the change of address," he said.  The Web site DemocraciaUSA.org features links to different federal and state resources, including registration deadlines and election dates. 

Votolatino.org includes a prominent link allowing users to register to vote on its site.  The easy-to-use tool informs users of their eligibility to vote and provides a printable registration form and state-specific addresses and phone numbers to finish the process. 

Virginians must be registered to vote at least 29 days before an election.  For the Nov. 4 General Election, Monday, Oct. 6, is the last day to register.

Democracia U.S.A. registered 72,000 voters in Florida in 2004, and has since expanded its focus to promote greater participation in all facets of the American political process around the country.  BB&T Corporation has partnered with Democracia U.S.A. to distribute the audio tape "BiBi Talks about Voting and Government in the United States," in English and Spanish.  The tape explains the process of registering to vote, political parties in the United States and the roles of federal and local governments.  "There are plenty of U.S citizens from all demographics that aren't registered to vote," said Teresa Mackey, vice president of the BB&T Hispanic Initiative, "watching the tape in light of the current political situation, I learned something myself." 

Collazo echoed a trend that Virginia Hispanics expressed at the polls in February: that Latinos care about a wide range of issues.  Democracia U.S.A's research and polls indicate that the economy, health care, education and jobs are at the forefront of Latino voters' concerns.  "We are not feeling the most confident in our local economy right now," Collazo said.  Touching on a theme that hits home with many Virginia Hispanic residents, he said, "For Hispanics, the immigration issue has sparked an increased understanding of the importance of having their voices heard.  Anti-Hispanic voices have awoken Latinos and made us aware of why we must have our voice heard in this process." 

Those inspired to increase their involvement in the political process beyond casting a vote in November can find tools for community organizing specifically geared toward Hispanics on http://www.lulac.org/civicparticipation.html (Lulac) and http://www.nclr.org/content/topics/detail/607 (NCLR).   

The tapes from BB&T and Democracia U.S.A. can be picked up for free at several BB&T multicultural centers in and around Hampton Roads: at 1433 Kempsville Road and 4592 Virginia Beach Blvd. in Virginia Beach, at 2222 East Little Creek Road in Norfolk, at 397 Denbigh Boulevard in Newport News, and on Lankford Highway in Mappsville on the Eastern Shore.  The BB&T centers also give out educational tapes in Spanish on a variety of topics, including emergency preparedness, basic banking information, finding a job, driving, housing, insurance and the American legal system.