5 NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS FOR LATINO VOTERS.

Congratulations Latino voters, in 2012 you comprised 10% of the electorate and got the attention of everyone. Some say the biggest indicator of your power was the fact that, just before the election, President Barack Obama created a pathway to status for the hardworking DREAMers and immigration activists who has been working for years to a similar end.

That’s great work — but what do you do now?

You know that living in a Democracy means your work is never done, and besides, you only have a year off before Congress is up for re-election. So here are a few things that you might resolve to do this year to ensure that the Democracy you so powerfully came out for in 2012 is even better in four years.

5.) LEARN ABOUT ONE ISSUE.

You know that whole “immigration reform,” “fiscal cliff,” “Social Security,” “entitlement programs,” all that stuff, it’s a bunch of jargon that, ultimately, affects you and your family. Google it, that’s the big secret.

4.) JOIN AN ORGANIZATION.

Maybe it’s the PTA or the local LULAC chapter, or a union or a political party, but get involved. Once you do, you’ll realize that things are only slightly more complicated than they seem from afar.

3.) GO TO A MEETING.

School board, city council, county commission, water district, all of the things that happen in these meetings impact your life more than who’s president. Did the school board give administrators a raise while cutting student programs? Did the city council fire the police chief? These types of things happen right under your nose, and yes the meetings are boring, but there’s always your cell phone to keep occupied between action items.

2.) REGISTER PEOPLE TO VOTE.

There are few things more admirable and easy than looking for people who have never exercised their voting power and helping them to do so.

1.) TALK ABOUT VOTING.

Tell youngsters set to turn 18, tell older people who may have transportation issues, tell twentysomethings who are busy falling in love, tell parents busy carting their kids around. Tell them about how voting is important, not just for president, but for the people who will be running their school and water district, town, county, state. Tell them how they can affect the quality of their local schools or state tax rate by getting out and voting.

What else can Latino voters do? What did I miss?

 

Copyright 2012 Sara Inés Calderón.

Sara Inés Calderón
sarainescalderon.com
@SaraChicaD
Skype: SaraChicaD