Movement to mobilize 1 million Latino, Asian voters launched

Jul 10, 2008, 17:30 GMT

Washington - A nationwide alliance of immigrant rights and community organizations on Thursday launched a new movement aimed at registering more than one million Latino and Asian voters ahead of November's presidential elections.

The movement, called the We Are America Alliance (WAAA), will reach out to voters in 13 states, which also have the largest Latino populations, said the alliance's executive director, Holli Holiday.

'For the first time, both the Republican and Democratic presidential nominees are paying attention to this constituency,' said Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO).

The initiative comes as both major presidential candidates have appeared in recent weeks before prominent Hispanic groups, a fast- growing demographic that could help sway the November elections.

On Tuesday, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said his administration would put the issues facing Hispanic Americans on a par with those facing all Americans and prevent employers from exploiting immigrant labour.

Republican candidate John McCain, who also addressed Hispanic voters Tuesday, was more cautious, focussing on his economic plan for all Americans and reiterating his support for free-trade deals a week after travelling to Colombia and Mexico.

Vargas said, 'This initiative is not just about one election. It is about the complete integration of immigrants in the political fabric of the country. We intend to inspire 10 million Latinos to vote on November 4.'

About 7.5 million Latinos voted in the previous presidential election, and the alliance projects at least 9.2 million will vote this year.

'We hope our projections are wrong, and want to make sure that many more of the 17 million eligible Latino voters come forward,' Vargas told reporters.

He also said that the presidential candidates were mistaken if they thought immigrants were only concerned about comprehensive immigration reform - a highly controversial issue over the last few years in American politics.

'They are also concerned about issues that matter to all Americans such as the economy, healthcare and the war in Iraq,' Vargas said.

A recent WAAA poll of 800 Latino voters found that 86 per cent were paying close attention to this election and 70 per cent had voted in the primaries.

Vargas argued that Hispanics had already played a crucial role in the election, helping presumptive Republican nominee John McCain win the Florida primary against his then-rival Mitt Romney.

'If no Hispanics had voted in Florida, then Mitt Romney would have won,' Vargas said. 'Today we march. Tomorrow we vote. Tomorrow has arrived.'

WAAA's Holiday said, 'Groups such as ours have been criticized that we can mobilize people but can't get them to vote. We will work to prove this wrong.'

WAAA will target people under 25, newly naturalized citizens and infrequent voters in the 13 states, which include California, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, New York, Illinois, Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Virginia.