Today is National Voter Registration Day, which means volunteers will be out in full force to register eligible voters for the impending presidential election.
To mark the occasion, the Latino Vote Alliance will send teams to five local Target stores. They picked Target for the blitz because San Jose police recently arrested a community leader, Salvador “Chava” Bustamante, while he was recruiting new voters outside Target at Story and King roads.
Today’s effort is part of an ongoing campaign to mobilize the Latino community in Santa Clara County. Throughout the state, Latino voter registration has been on the upswing. Polls show that trend has a lot to with Donald Trump’s xenophobic rhetoric about Mexican immigrants.
“Latinos have long been under-represented in our voter rolls, and thus in our policy making,” said Maria Noel Fernandez, Director of Organizing and Civic Engagement at Working Partnerships USA and co-chair of the Latino Vote Alliance. “We’re out across the city working to change that.”
Overall turnout for the Nov. 8 election is projected to hover around 85 percent. But only 71 percent of eligible Latino voters are expected to head to the polls, according to the Latino Vote Alliance.
In this county alone, some 250,000 young adults and Latinos whoa re eligible to vote remain unregistered. “With all that hangs in the balance this fall, we must change that, and we can,” Fernandez said.
Santa Clara County’s Registrar of Voters Office has joined the National Voter Registration Day effort, the nation’s largest one-day push to sign up new voters. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 24. For information about how to sign up or to check your registration status, click here.
“This election is important, and every eligible American should have the chance to weigh in,” Registrar of Voters Shannon Bushey said in a statement. “We want to make sure that every citizen who wants the opportunity to vote on Election Day has their registration up to date by the deadline.”
““Latinos have long been under-represented in our voter rolls…” They are, however, over-represented in teen pregnancy rates, arrest and conviction records, and high school dropout rates. THAT is to be our expanded voter pool? I wonder how many illegals, felons, and dead folks will join the voter rolls thanks to this “volunteer” effort? And we can probably bet the farm that the county ROV will do little or nothing to check the eligibility to vote of all these new registrants.
No facts,just racist speculation. Here’s a fact – you’re a bigot ! It sure takes a lot of chutzpah to disparage Latinos in a city with a Spanish name & where Caucasians are a rapidly shrinking minority !!
“Make America Great Again” & do all of your neighbors a favor & go back where you came from !!! I hear that now they’ve finally got enough potatoes for everyone,but you can’t find a taco truck anywhere !!!!
> do all of your neighbors a favor & go back where you came from !!!
Frank:
You sound like xenophobe! That’s going to land you in Hillary’s basket of deplorables.
Go back to where I came from, Mock Boy? I came from Massachusetts. It is not racism to point out the facts that folks like you deny, despite the overwhelming data that point to the truth of what I wrote. Each one of my statements about the Hispanic population is backed up by local, state, and national government data as well as school district data with respect to SJ, the County of Santa Clara, the State of California, and the entire nation. Spend a few minutes on Google and the sad truth will be revealed to you; but of course you won’t accept it. One can rationally debate the CAUSES of the failure of a large section of the Hispanic population in the US (well, except for you Frank, since you are rarely rational) but one cannot debate the data which support my assertions. They are consistent and incontrovertible. You can call someone a racist or a bigot for pointing out facts, but it just doesn’t stick, Frank. You can rant and rave, you can whine and snivel, but the facts remain the facts. And while you’re blubbering your nonsense on SJI, grow a pair and use your real name.
Where’s the beef ? Where are the facts ? Cite your data & the right-wing white supremacist sources of your hateful & specious accusations ! You can lie & twist the truth & cherry pick statistical data to your black hearts content,but you’re still a racist bigot for suggesting that Democrats are intent on registering illegal aliens,felons & dead people to vote here in the South Bay. As we all know voter fraud is virtually non-existent in America,yet lying Republican racists claim it’s widespread in their continuing effort to disenfranchise minority voters who’d never support their reprehensible agenda !!
According to government data Caucasians commit the majority of crimes (especially hate crimes) & collect the majority of welfare & food stamps here in America,yet you choose to disparage those whose skin is darker than your own. To call you deplorable would be an understatement as your reprehensible race-baiting & disgusting unsubstantiated rhetoric is as inexcusable as it is intolerant. You’re an embarrassment to yourself, your race & your ethnicity & as a proud Irishman you’re an embarrassment to me ! I know it’s been difficult for you since the dry cleaner lost your hood & that you can’t attend another cross burning until you save up for a new one,but don’t despair as you can still wear your wife-beater to White Power rallies in the meantime ! So go back to Massachusetts where the population is over 80% Caucasian & just over 10% Latino & Hispanic,as I’m certain you’d be much happier there & no one here would even notice that you’re gone !! Viva la raza ! Si se puede !! Hasta la vista racista !!!
> As we all know voter fraud is virtually non-existent in America
Frank:
That bump on your head seems to be pretty serious. You really should see a doctor about it.
In the meantime, I suggest you seek temporary relief with some medicinal marijuana.
Oh, wait. That might be the problem.
Where’s the beef, you ask? All available via Google. Once again Mockery, all you have is name calling behind the curtain of your sophomoric pseudonym. In the MA city where I was born, 73.8% of the population is Hispanic. A brief Google search shows that statewide in CA, nearly one in 7 Latino students dropped out, compared to one in 13 white students and one in 21 Asian students. Only 70.4 percent of Santa Clara County Latino students entering high school in 2010 graduated. Two of every three babies born to teens in California are born to Latinas. Nationwide, white incarceration rate is 380/100,000 people, Latinos are 966/100,00. Get a 12 year old relative to help you Google and you’ll find my assertions re teen pregnancy rates, arrest and conviction records, and high school dropout rate are accurate
> & as a proud Irishman you’re an embarrassment to me !
WHAT! Frank is a Caucasian!!
Wow, along with a bump on the head, that’s something he has in common with almost-President Hillary.
> According to government data Caucasians commit the majority of crimes (especially hate crimes)
BE AFRAID! BE VERY AFRAID!
It is heart-warming to hear that people are making the positive decision to volunteer their time for such a worthy cause. Research indicates that voter apathy is at an all time high so these volunteers have the potential to make all the difference when it comes to getting people to come out and vote. I believe we should all find some way to volunteer and give back to our community in such a positive way. Nothing helps build well-being like helping others.
San Jose Counseling and Psychotherapy,
Dr. Randi Fredricks
http://drrandifredricks.com