The Georgia Latino Vote campaign began in 2004 to further GALEO's mission of increasing "civic engagement and leadership" of the Latino community in Georgia. The Georgia Latino Vote campaign is the largest, non-partisan Latino voter registration and voter mobilization campaign in Georgia.
GALEO officials say Georgia's Latino electorate has had tremendous growth over a very short period of time. Back in 2003, Georgia had approximately 10,000 Latino registered voters. However, in 2009 after the 2008 Presidential election, Georgia had approximately 150,000 Latino registered voters. According to a GALEO report published in 2009, Latino voter participation rates in most Georgia jurisdictions outpaced the national Latino voter participation rates. The issue of immigration and some of the political rhetoric around the issue are driving forces for many Latinos to become registered and vote in recent elections, according to GALEO officials.
The ¡Órale 10! initiative began in 2010 in light of the passage of state anti-immigrant legislation that began in Arizona and has now spread into other states. The ¡Órale 10! initiative will focus upon empowering the pro-immigrant community to register new eligible voters and to increase and to strengthen the Latino electorate in Georgia. GALEO believes in a competitive Presidential race for 2012, the growing Latino electorate in Georgia could make a significant difference in the outcome of the elections.
The ¡Órale 10! initiative encourages the community to take three simples steps: to register 10 new eligible voters in their community, to give 10 hours of their time as a volunteer, and to donate $10 to the campaign to help support the voter registration efforts.
GALEO says Latinos will be encouraged to participate in all elections in 2012. Specifically, Latinos will be encouraged to register prior to February 6, in order to cast their ballot for the Presidential Preference Primary on March 6. Information about the presidential candidates will also be made available in order to educate the Latino electorate on the statements and positions of these candidates on immigration issues. Finally, the year's activities will culminate with the presidential election on November 6.
Other activities planned to encourage new voter registration and voter turnout include voter registration trainings, citizenship drives, voter registration drives at naturalization ceremonies, voter registration drives at many retail locations, information awareness at local clubs, candidate forums, t-shirt logo design contest, video contest, encouraging participation through a facebook campaign, and a strong Spanish language media partnership, among other activities.
"The Latino electorate in Georgia is growing and will be stronger in 2012. Certainly, competitive races could be determined by the outcome of a committed and engaged citizenry. We will strive to make an impact in every election in 2012," said Jerry Gonzalez, Executive Director of GALEO.
The Georgia Latino Vote 2012 campaign will also have a bilingual (Spanish/English) toll free number (1-888-54GALEO / 1-888-544-2536) where Latinos and other citizens may call for assistance in questions or concerns about the voting process.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2011/12/244028