CHULA VISTA, Calif. — The Chicano Federation is mobilizing a voter engagement campaign to ensure every voice is heard in this upcoming election. CBS 8 was at Southwestern College in Chula Vista where nearly 100 people gathered Thursday for the official launch party.
"For us, it’s about ourselves, you know really standing up for our community and for our familia,” said Liz Ramírez, CEO of Chicano Federation.
18 different organizations have joined forces to make a meaningful push to engage and educate potential voters about the importance of civic participation.
“Oftentimes we think that our vote doesn’t matter," said Lisette Islas, CEO of Lifeline Community Services. "We think that, ‘Oh, this is just one vote,’ but if there are ten or twenty or even a hundred or ten-thousand people thinking, ‘My vote doesn’t matter,’ entire elections change. And so the point is to get people out and vote.”
According to U.S. Census data from 2020, Latinos comprise 34% of San Diego County’s 3.3 million residents, and it’s this community, especially young people, that these organizations want to reach.
“My voice matters and my voice is part the vote that’s going to be changing the society and impacting our future,” said 21-year-old nursing student, Ahitza Gomez.
Hispanic enrollment makes up 66% of the student population at Southwestern College.
“Our voice matters and our opinions matter, and even though some people say it doesn’t because we’re too young, we’re too naïve, or too inexperienced, we are the ones who will be suffering the consequences or the actions of the future, so I empower every young voter to go vote,” said Gomez.
More than 16 million Latinos voted nationwide in 2020, and as we head toward November 5th, the Chicano Federation and their partners will be holding registration drives and educational workshops to encourage voter participation.
“Any community that you represent, you need to go out and vote and make sure that community is seen as a powerful voting block because that is when our political parties take up our platforms,” said Islas.
If you’d like to help out or participate in the voter engagement campaign, head to www.MiVozMiVoto.org.
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