Arizona group urging Latinos to vote

There’s a last minute push to remind Valley residents to get out and vote on Tuesday.

Hundreds of volunteers with Promise Arizona (PAZ) in Action will be canvassing neighborhoods, making calls and even offering residents rides to the polls.

“I think too many people forget that the primary election is important, especially in the Latino community,” said Petra Falcon, PAZ Executive Director. “We are trying to increase participation in the Latino community and one way is to have those conversations at their door.”

Falcon said the group is committed to making a positive, permanent change in Arizona by engaging everyone, particularly young people, in the political process. Since April, the organization has recruited 843 volunteers who have worked to register 8,414 new voters, many of whom are Latino.

According to a study written by Melissa R. Michelson, an Associate Professor of Political Science at California State University, the Latino population is growing at an explosive rate but, “this growth has not translated into increased political power, however, largely because Latino voter turnout is so low. There is a massive disparity between the size of the Latino population and Latino voting power. Less than a third of Latinos vote in presidential elections, while less
than one fourth participate in congressional elections.”

PAZ volunteers are confident that there will be positive changes when it comes to Latino voter turnout, at least in Arizona.

“SB 1070 created an awakening, a movement, because people ask why is that happening in Arizona, in this day and age, when somebody has to be worried about the color of their skin,” said Falcon.