The Latino Vote in 2014
November 6, 2014
LULAC National Executive Director Brent Wilkes on the Latino electorate in the midterm elections and on fasting for immigration reform
Brent Wilkes, LULAC National Executive Director, issued the following statement regarding the results on the midterm elections and why he has joined the Dreamers Moms USA on their hunger strike.
"The midterm elections clearly demonstrated that the American people are tired of a dysfunctional government. The message delivered by the electorate was that they want the newly elected members to be willing to cross party lines in order to pass legislation that responds to the challenges facing our country. Exit polling also clearly established that a majority of Americans consider immigration reform to be a key issue and support legal status for undocumented immigrants. This fact coincides with an ever increasing voice from the Latino community. Specifically, the number of Latino voters continues to grow. This midterm election saw an almost 18 percent increase in Latino voter turnout over the 2010 midterm elections. In addition, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus grew by two seats. We are encouraged by these facts and believe that they will help convince the new Congress to make comprehensive immigration reform a reality.
“To ensure that voters had the resources they needed to vote in the midterm elections, LULAC conducted educational classes and participated in conferences which provided the Latino electorate with important information, including how to comply with voter I.D. laws. In addition, LULAC conducted poll monitoring, hosted bilingual voter protection hot lines, and ran radio public service announcements and billboards urging Latinos to vote. LULAC also conducted voter registration drives in key states such as Texas, California, the District of Columbia, Virginia, Maryland, Iowa, Wisconsin, Arizona, and New York.
“Now, to ensure that the need for immigration reform is not forgotten, LULAC is doing its part to keep the focus on this important issue. For example, for the past week, I have joined the Dreamers for Moms USA on a hunger strike taking place in front of the White House. I hope that our actions help remind President Obama that we must end the deportations that are tearing families apart and urge the President to expand DACA for millions of immigrant Americans. We also hope that our hunger strike serves as a reminder to our newly elected Congress that immigration reform needs to be at the top of the agenda. Should Congress fail to act on immigration reform, President Obama must keep his promise to the American people and use administrative action to provide relief to our Latino immigrant brothers and sisters."
About the League of United Latino American Citizens (LULAC): The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the largest and oldest volunteer-based civil rights organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit LULAC.org, facebook.com/lulac.national.dc, twitter.com/LULAC.