Advocating Electoral 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
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Nov 10, 2020
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Aug 5, 2020
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Aug 5, 2020
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Aug 5, 2020
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Aug 5, 2020
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Aug 5, 2020
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Aug 5, 2020
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Aug 5, 2020
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Aug 5, 2020
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Aug 5, 2020
Field Numbers
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.
Our Projects
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.
Our Campaigns
Contamos Contigo
CHIRLA’s third census campaign aims to empower Latinos, immigrants, refugees, and English learners -- who have a history of invisibility in the census -- to fill it out. Our communities often get plenty of federal resources, but the wrong kind--detention centers and police enforcement instead of schools and hospitals. Filling out the census ensures we get what we truly need. We aim to reach 2.7 million Californians in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Bernardino, the San Fernando and Antelope valleys, the High Desert, and Sacramento.
Schools and Communities First
CHIRLA helped collect 1.7 million signatures to put the Schools and Communities First initiative on the November 2020 ballot as Proposition 15. It redistributes tax responsibilities so that big business pays its fair share to fund schools and infrastructure.
Helpful Resources
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.