Non-profit pushes to register Latino voters in Triangle
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Out of the more than 6 million registered voters in North Carolina, fewer than 148,000 are Latino.
While the Latino population in North Carolina still has room to grow, Iliana Santillan, a community organizer with El Pueblo, is hoping to beef up voter numbers.
She and other organizers at the non-profit hosted a voter-registration workshop for volunteers who will go out into the community and urge more Latinos to register to vote.
"Our job here is to encourage them to go out and vote and really educate them about the political processes and how they work here," said Santillan.
Elizabeth Mejia was one of several people who showed up for the training. In a soft voice, she said she wanted to be there to learn how to educate others to go vote.
"I hear people complain a lot, they don't like this, they don't like that. But yet they don't get up and do something," said Mejia. "Voice it out, not just for yourself, but for the rest of us who can't speak up."
"Often times in Latin America countries the democracy process doesn't work the way it works here so a lot of people are not only intimidated but they're also, they lost hope," Santillan said.
So they're hoping to build that hope back up.
Friday night's turnout was only a handful of people, but with every recruit they hope to reach more voters. They also plan to continue to follow up with people all the way through Election Day.
