As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, there's an opportunity to connect the celebration’s theme of “esperanza” (hope) with the current fight to protect voting rights in our Hispanic and Latino communities.
GOP legislatures all across the country have passed or are in the process of passing laws that reduce and restrict access to the ballot, especially in our Brown and Black communities.
One of the most egregious examples were the recent voting restrictions signed into law in Texas. The Texas law was aimed directly at suppressing the voices of voters in Harris County and Houston where 40 percent of the population is Hispanic or Latino.
This is a time to build positive, uplifting messages that support voting rights and push back against efforts to restrict them. Celebrating “hope” in the community is a good time to recognize the strength and importance of family in Hispanic culture, as well as the important role voting plays in protecting those shared values.
ReThink Media research has shown that “freedom” and “responsibility” are two values that resonate particularly well with Hispanic and Latino voters. One reason for that is the sense of responsibility that many in the community feel to vote because it’s a right that their immigrant parents or grandparents did not have. And freedom, of course, is sewn into the struggle that brought many immigrant families to this country, whether it was in search of economic, religious or democratic freedom. The freedom to vote is intrinsic to that family story.
Building messages directed to the Hispanic and Latino communities that embrace the generational values of freedom and responsibility are important and can be useful in messaging that ties-in both Hispanic Heritage Month and National Voter Registration Day, which is Sept. 28.
As always, messaging is more effective when we avoid delving deeply into policy debates and, instead, connect with personal stories.
While passing the newly-introduced “Freedom to Vote Act” in Congress is essential to protecting the voting rights, our messaging should focus on lifting up the stories of individuals in those communities. Tell the stories of our everyday heroes, who include single parents, senior citizens, disabled people, members of the military and others who would benefit from extended voting hours, the ability to have assistance in casting their ballots and the right to live in fairly drawn voting districts.
Some key messaging points to keep in mind:
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Voters should choose their elected officials; elected officials should not be allowed to choose their voters.
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Everyone should have equal access to the polls regardless of their race and zip code.
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Connect the dots between the right to vote and the right to have a voice in everyday issues that matter to all of us - building a strong economy and creating jobs, ensuring everyone has access to affordable health care and providing excellent and equitable schools for our children.
You can also find more resources at Voto Latino, Mi Familia Voto and MALDEF.
As we’ve seen in recent polling and elections, the Hispanic and Latino vote is powerful but also diverse in its political beliefs. Protecting voting rights should be framed as a non-partisan issue - voting is an important right of ALL Americans.
And as always, we’re here to help. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if we can assist in messaging strategy, writing and editing or pitching.
Joi Ridley, Voting Rights Program Director, joi@rethinkmedia.org
Joseph Newman, Communications Manager, joseph@rethinkmedia.org
