How We Should Do Voter Registration and GOTV
I just wrote some suggestions in letter 16, begin with those but let me expand. First, Raza folks need to be asked in person for their vote. Your contrary relatives and friends will even vote your way if you ask them to do it for you. In street language we call it “hacienda esquina.” You can change it for “Highs panics” and LatinX’ers to “have your back.” Second, Raza folks need to have a reason for voting. In other words, explain what is in their interest to vote your way. Think about this because a simple thing like “pave our street”; “get a pay raise”; “graduate more Chicanos from high school that can read”; or “getting a job”, is not enticing language or in the cards. Those in power are there because others gave them money and others voted for them. That simple. That money is more important than our votes. Money buys votes. The votes are basically symbolic to show they got more votes than the other one. Third, our Raza does not know what is in it for them by voting. Most do not know who their elected officials are locally much less state and federal. They have never been to a meeting of the city council, school board, community college or County Commissioner’s Court. Fourth, Raza rents housing, they do not own homes (some of the middle class does), so most do not complain of property taxes other than sales tax. Most do not even know that $0.184 of every gallon of gasoline is a federal tax and $0.244 is on diesel. Most do not know that the Texas sales tax is 6.25% plus another two (2) percent by their city. In reality, the sales tax in Texas is 8.25% in every city except those in Kennedy and McMullen counties. Texas is one of the poorest states in the entire country and the Rio Grande Valley-Cameron, Hidalgo, and Starr are the poorest counties of all counties ranging from 33% to 42% poverty rate among those over 18 years of age. Childhood poverty is worse. Yet, those who can read, who are elected to public office, who are middle class or better, who do vote, ignore these statistics and have done so since forever. That is why Raza does not vote. Who cares about them? Think Harris Walz will? Think Julie Chavez Rodriguez will? Do you?
Most local officials do not even read the agenda booklet given to them before the meeting. This is very true of school board trustees. In the US, “Latino” municipal politicos are 2,258 to 2,535 on school boards. In Texas, the ratio was 560 municipal male politicos to 231 female politicas and 698 on school boards to 398 females. Overwhelmingly, they were Democrats even though these two positions are non-partisan, but they report that affiliation to NALEO who publishes a state-by-state survey. I could not find a more recent one than 2019, however. The worse statistic for Texas was the median educational level of our politicos and politicas at less than high school diploma.
Start organizing at your street level with simple issues like getting hired to work as bilingual clerks inside the polling places. Also, like getting the city or school board funding for a city or district wide Quinceañera Ball. Every girl wants to have one, but few can afford the $15,000-$20,000-dollar cost. Raza understand this issue. Raza has daughters. Organize a No Compro/No Trabajo day, say el 20 de Noviembre, (anniversary of the Mexican Revolution) to boycott a Ford product or retailer like H.E.B. for almost no grant funding from the Ford Foundation; local low wages; and discrimination in contracting with suppliers. Start a cooperative with city and school funding to combat poverty to raise chickens and pigs; grow tomatoes, onions, garlic, cilantro, chiles, and the like that HEB must buy. Think of something close to heart and need. Look into the Farm to Market program in Texas.
On election day, set up a table with your lists of those you registered or get one from the local Democrats saying you are helping GOTV. Check off those who voted early or absentee. Check off on election day those coming to vote BUT send out teams to get those not yet voted. Keep that up all day. Take food and water to your poll watchers inside the polling places. Ask your local HEB for donations of water, soda, tacos, sandwiches, etc. and your local small grocery store and bar. Make sure the polls stay open until 7 pm. They cannot close early or claim they ran out of ballots. Hold a rally downtown or nearest park to celebrate victory. Get a permit from the city to avoid police problems. Celebrate that you won with your candidates or that you won by getting out the vote or that you increased voter turnout among Raza by a noticeable number. Remember who defines, wins! You define your victory! Publicly acknowledge who worked and who donated. After a day or two, go around your barrio and thank those you first contacted back in September to help out by registering, voting, volunteering and, if it happened, those hire to work inside the polls.
José Angel Gutiérrez, PhD, JD, Emeritus
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Copyright 2024 by José Angel Gutiérrez. For more information visit: www.joseangelgutierrez.com