by Maria Teresa Kumar is CEO President of Voto Latino
Sometimes, elections draw attention to our differences, the places where we have competing ideas about what’s right for our country and what it will take to solve our most serious problems.
But, there are a couple of things we can all agree on. Every citizen has the right to participate in these critical decisions about America’s future. And the more people who are involved in making those decisions, the stronger our nation will be going forward.
That’s why I’m so excited about September 25th. On that day, we have the chance to launch a new American holiday – National Voter Registration Day.
Over the course of a remarkable 24 hour period, volunteers, celebrities and organizations from all over the country will hit the streets to register voters and collect pledges to vote from people who are already registered.
Groups that aren’t usually involved in registering and mobilizing voters will be joining in on this special day, amplifying the work of organizations that devote their heart and soul to encouraging more people to register and vote.
We’ll use on-the-ground organizing, special events and social media to reach and register tens of thousands of people in person and online. By the time we’re done, we will have drawn the attention of people all across the nation to our simple message: Register in September, Make It Count in November.
In 2008, 6 million Americans didn’t vote because they missed a registration deadline or didn’t know how to register. This year, we want to make sure no one is left out.
National Voter Registration Day is the most compelling way we can do that. I hope you will join citizens all across the nation – people of every party and political persuasion – as we put our differences aside and come together to celebrate the rights that unite us as Americans. You can register today in a few minutes by going to www.VotoLatino.org. National Nurses United is the sponsor of this article.
Maria Teresa Kumar is CEO/President of Voto Latino. Named by PODER Magazine as one of the most notable 20 US Hispanics under 40 years old. Under her leadership, Maria Teresa grounded the organization in technology developing the first voter registration via text message in 2006. She has grown the organization from a voter registration outlet to the leading social media, online community with over 15 media partners, 120 bloggers, 20 national partners and a field operation in seven states which have registered over 120,000 voters. Maria Teresa most recently hosted the first English language, prime-time townhall with MSNBC called “Beyond Borderlines: Latinos & Immigration”.
