In this process, we’ve come across many non-profits working with the Latino Population and voting rights in North Carolina. We have included a few of these below as a possible means of helping the Latino Voter Population:
Isela Gutiérrez-Gunter, our main interviewee, calls this place her work. This organization, headed by Executive Director Bob Hall, aims to increase participation in voters, decrease the influence of “big money” in politics, and finally reach a government that is by the people. They do this through research, advocacy and organization. While Democracy NC has not focused exclusively on the Latino Population (they focus on voters as a whole), they have authored a report entitled “A Snapshot of Latino Voters”.
This institution has a Youtube channel, where one can find more videos and interviews related to their research on the Latino vote.
El Pueblo Inc. serves to help Latinos to achieve positive social change by building consciousness, capacity, and community action. They serve this population almost exclusively in every capacity, making voting just a piece of the puzzle in reaching their final goal. Check out of our page on our conversation with Mike Figueras, who is their Youth Program Coordinator.
The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) is a national non-profit that tries to create more Latino political participation. NALEO, El Pueblo, and Democracy NC all worked together to create a special mailing for Latino Voters in the last election which helped significantly in increasing voter turnout for the Latino Population.
Common Cause is a political advocacy group based in Washington, DC. Founded in 1970, this organization is also a progressive non-profit watchdog group seeking to “create open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process.” According to Isela Gutierrez-Gunter, El Pueblo and NALEO are going to partner with Common Cause to create a voter guide for the next elections.
Equality North Carolina is a rights advocacy group “dedicated to securing equal rights and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) North Carolinians.” The oldest LGBT equality organization has a coalition with diverse local institutions, including Democracy North Carolina, the Common Sense Foundation, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People – North Carolina (NAACP-NC.)
