The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) and mitú announced a new partnership Thursday and kicked off "Latinos Vote", a voter registration mobile application and website to make voting and engagement easier for young Latinos.
NCLR is the country’s largest Hispanic civil rights organization and mitú is a leading tech-media brand for young Latinos.
“With the fastest-growing vote, the youngest average voters and our issues of concern at the center of the debate, our community can see that 2016 will prove to be a watershed election,” said President and CEO of NCLR Janet Murguía in a press release.
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“NCLR’s job is to make sure that our voters—and as importantly the millions of potential voters in our community—have the tools necessary and the information they need to participate and make informed choices for their families and their future.”
A recent Pew Research Center report found Latino millennials will account for 44 percent of the estimated 27.3 million Hispanic eligible voters in 2016. For millions of young Latinos, 2016 will be the first opportunity to participate in presidential elections and make a difference in the political process.
Young people, though, are less likely to cast their ballots compared to older voters, so groups are trying to make the registration process easier.
The app (now available for Android, iOS and online) walks the eligible voter through the registration process in 5 steps and once completed, it will email the user the proper registration forms, pre-filled. The prospective voter simply has to print, sign, and mail out the form.
The two organizations will also stay in touch with the voters who user their application to register to assist them with the final steps in the process as well as to alert them with information about deadlines and opportunities to engage other voters. The app will also have built-in social sharing features so users can encourage others to register and participate.
“As the leading digital media company for Latinos, we have a responsibility and a commitment to provide a platform for this generation’s voice to be heard,” said Beatriz Acevedo, President and Co-founder of mitú, “We are very excited to partner with NCLR to launch this app to support our efforts in empowering our community.”
In addition to the developing and launching of the application, the organizations will increase registration and 'get-out-the-vote' efforts leading up to the November presidential elections. Their goal is to energize millennial Latinos and first-time voters to get involved in civic participation beyond the 2016 elections.