AdvocatingElectoral Participation

CHIRLA’s civic engagement department builds electoral participation among immigrants, Latinos, English learners, hard-to-reach and new voters in our community.

We work to first inform them and then get them to the polls to participate in this democracy in an empowered way,  voting their best interests.

To that end, we work to educate voters about the electoral process and convince them to participate in EVERY election, not just the presidential cycle. Candidate campaigns tend to overlook these voters, but we aim to make them cultural voters, building a progressive, empowered voter base from scratch.

We are also part of the Million Voters Project, a coalition of California organizations working to expand the electorate with Californians who tend to stay out of the political process.

Timeline

  • Nov 10, 2020

    2020

    The IPPP reaches 215,440 voters statewide and one other state 174,824 supporters and 2,223 volunteers.

  • Aug 5, 2020

    2020

    The Immigrant Political Power Project reaches more than 90,000 voters for the March primaries.

  • Aug 5, 2020

    2018

    The IPPP reaches 240,000 voters in 43 California counties and three other states, with a turnout rate of 80 percent.

  • Aug 5, 2020

    2018

    CHIRLA founds the Immigrant Political Power Project, a joint initiative with the CHIRLA Action Fund, its political arm.

  • Aug 5, 2020

    2017

    CHIRLA conducts its first special election campaign to get out the vote.

  • Aug 5, 2020

    2014

    CHIRLA conducts its first primary election civic engagement campaign.

  • Aug 5, 2020

    2009

    Call center transfers 350,000 voters throughout the country to their congressional representatives to support the DREAM Act.

  • Aug 5, 2020

    2009

    CHIRLA launches a permanent, not campaign-based, call center.

  • Aug 5, 2020

    2006

    CHIRLA reaches 3,800 new and infrequent voters.

  • Aug 5, 2020

    2004

    CHIRLA begins a civic engagement program with a project to reach 1,200 new and infrequent voters in the San Fernando Valley through phone banking and canvassing. It runs its first electoral campaign, in a non-partisan election.

Immigrant Political Power Project
2024 CA General Election

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Yo Soy California Y Voto

CHIRLA's Electoral Program for immigrants and by immigrants did this during the 2020 electoral election. This electoral campaign targeted Spanish-speaking immigrant and Latino voters in California.  The program consisted of a call center staffed by 50 phone operators, online educational videos, live streams, a television series that aired on LA TV on Saturdays, radio announcements in Spanish, print ads, posters, photos, a bilingual voter guide, and social media engagement in English and Spanish.

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OurProjects

Read about our program

Immigrant Political Power Project

Targets new citizens, Latinos, and English learners to build enough voting power to sway state politics. On average, we speak with these voters 4-7 times before election day, in their language, over the phone and in person. We train allies, members and community partners to also talk with them about the political landscape, volunteer recruitment, and electoral strategy. Teams of paid and volunteer canvassers and phone bankers, who range in status from LPR to undocumented, work to build a constant culture of voting among their neighbors. This electoral program is for immigrants by immigrants.

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Voters Choice Act

CHIRLA leads efforts to educate and make voting accessible to everyone. We are part of the steering committee for the Voter Choice Act LA County working group, Future of California Elections, and the Voter Choice Act working group in Orange County. We participated in a mock election and hosted training sessions to show voters the new voting system in Los Angeles County.

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