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2007 APPROVED RESOLUTIONS
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This Resolution was Approved by the National Latino Congreso on Day One Friday October 5th Author: Mr. Antonio Gonzalez Organization: Southwest Voter Registration Education Project (SVREP) Phone: 323-343-9299 Email Address: agonzalez@svrep.org
WHEREAS Presidential election years historically generate more interest among Latinos than any other type election cycle; and WHEREAS Latinos have consistently been the fast growing ethnic group in registration and voting since 1980 (as measured every Presidential cycle), growing from 2.4 million registered voters and 2 million votes cast in 1976 to 9.3 million registered voters and 7.6 million votes cast in 2004; and WHEREAS despite this trend-setting growth in the Latino voter, due to naturalization and rapid organic growth, Latinos still have at least 7 million eligible unregistered voters through 2008; and WHEREAS at least 5 million legal permanent residents are Latinos and could become naturalized citizens eligible to become voters; and WHEREAS Southwest Voter Registration Education Project (SVREP) has issued a call to all Latino organizations/leaders to coalesce to form national movement to raise the Latino electorate to 12 million registered Latino voters and 10 million votes cast for the 2008 general presidential elections representing the largest growth ever in the Latino vote; and WHEREAS measures to address the interests of Latinos such as just immigration reform, access to health care, public education reform, expansion of affordable housing, good neighbor relations with Latin America and the Caribbean, and many other issues are less likely to gain acceptance in Washington, DC, unless Latinos significantly increase their electoral/political power; and WHEREAS the two main parties and their constituent special interest and interest groups increasingly realize that gaining a larger share of Latino votes is necessary to their own viability in pursuing their self-interests; and WHEREAS these groups are increasingly injecting themselves with their non-Latino leadership and agendas into the Latino community with the effect of dividing the community and derailing its empowerment agenda; and WHEREAS the right to vote is a vital part of the American way of life and that a healthy election system the source of the United States' moral authority to govern rightfully; and WHEREAS the current American electoral system is increasingly dysfunctional and undemocratic due to structures and procedures such as, but not limited to, the two party de-fact duopoly, the "money primary", at-large election systems, unequal voting machines, voter caging, voter intimidation, felony disenfranchisement, and exclusionary voter registration procedures; and WHEREAS there has been an erosion of the Voting Rights Act by recent Supreme Court decisions and lack of enforcement of the United States Department of Justice, leading to additional disenfranchisement of the American electorate; and WHEREAS the Electoral College no longer reliably gauges the will of the American voters and further serves as yet another disenfranchising tool of the electorate; and WHEREAS the current system is structured to discourage minorities, women and low and moderate-income people from the opportunity to become public servants; and WHEREAS voter registration is a major determinant in voting, and more than 80 percent of those registered to vote went to the polls in the 2004 election; and WHEREAS only 59 percent of citizens in households making less than $15,000 a year were registered to vote in 2004, versus 85 percent of those in households making $75,000 or more. Among Latinos, 49 percent of adult citizens in households making less than $15,000 a year were registered versus 74 percent in households making $75,000 or more; and WHEREAS public assistance agencies are one of the best places to reach low-income Americans, with the United States Department of Agriculture reporting over 25.5 million participants for Food Stamp benefits in FY2006, nearly 20 percent of whom were Latino; and WHEREAS the National Voter Registration Act has since 1994 required that state public assistance agencies offer voter registration services to public benefit applicants and clients; and WHEREAS implementation of the National Voter Registration Act in public assistance agencies has at best been inconsistent, with the number of voter registration applications from public assistance agencies declining by 80 percent between 1995-1996 and 2005- 2006; and WHEREAS the U.S. Department of Justice has rarely taken action to enforce state compliance with the public assistance agency provisions of the National Voter Registration Act; and WHEREAS after adopting a series of simple changes, Iowa was able to increase the number of voter registration applications coming from their public assistance agencies by 3000 percent; and WHEREAS North Carolina registered over 20,000 voters via public assistance offices from January through August, 2007 after implementing a 10-point plan to improve NVRA compliance, and had reported only 11,607 voters registered at public assistance agencies in 2005-2006; 1. THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the organizations represented by delegates of the 2007 National Latino Congreso issue a call to unite all interested Latino organizations and leaders and allies to generate a massive nonpartisan Latino Vote Campaign whose goal is increase Latino political power and influence at all levels of government and society; and 2. FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that the organizations represented by delegates of the 2007 National Latino Congreso endorse all nonpartisan Latino voter mobilization proposals proposed at the Congreso including those focused on immigrants, youth, Latinas, communities, and churches; and 3. FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that the Congreso conveners convene the delegates and their organizations and their allies in statewide meetings in all the relevant states to launch nonpartisan state and local Latino Vote coalitions whose strategy is to register and mobilize the Latino electorate through during the period of November 07 through March 08; and 4. FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that the organizations represented by delegates of the 2007 National Latino Congreso urge non-Latino entities now seeking to mobilize Latinos for their non-Latino interests to work through Latino-led entities, embrace the Latino empowerment agenda and cease and desist from devise tactics and strategies; and 5. FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that the organizations represented by delegates of the 2007 National Latino Congreso promote the importance of voting to all Americans, in particularly to Latinos and other ethnic communities in all elections with strong get-out-the-vote campaigns and messages; and 6. FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that the organizations represented by delegates of the 2007 National Latino Congreso promote strong election reforms to help make the act of voting more accessible and relevant to all Americans, including: a. Calling for states to directly elect the President of the United States by entering into a compact to award their Electoral College votes to the winner of the national popular vote. Such new state laws should only be implemented when a majority of states totaling 270 electoral votes enter the official compacts; and b. Reforming district elections where majority-minority districts are not feasible, local non-partisan elections can be reformed into a single election with an instant run-off voting apparatus; and c. Urge replacement of local at-large, two-stage election systems with a single slate, instant run-off voting process; and d. Allowing for voters to register on the same day as an elections, making it easier for people to turn out on election day; and e. Endorsing the campaign finance reform concept called "Clean Money," which allows for the public financing of campaigns, as this reform would allow more opportunity for Americans of all socio-economic standing the chance to run for notable public offices; and 7. FURTHER IT RESOLVED that the organizations represented by delegates at the 2007 National Latino Congreso call on all states to fully comply with the National Voter Registration Act and its public assistance agency registration provisions as a means to increase Latino voting power; and 8. FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that the organizations represented by delegates at the 2007 National Latino Congreso call on the U.S. Department of Justice to vigilantly enforce state compliance with the National Voter Registration Act and its public assistance agency registration provisions. | ||||
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Latino action plan could swing 2008 vote
[News Analysis]
By Rosalio Muñoz
The National Latino Congreso held here Oct. 5-9 projected an action plan and program to massively
increase Latino voter turnout in 2008 and decisively
impact the Nov. 8 presidential and congressional
elections.
The Congreso, convened by 10 major national Latino
organizations with over 2,000 participating leaders
and activists from across the nation, set a goal of
raising the Latino presidential turnout from 7.6
million in 2004 to over 10 million in 2008.
While the Congreso is a nonpartisan effort working on
an independent "Latino empowerment agenda," such a
turnout would lead to even greater losses for
Republicans next year. Vast majorities of Latinos see
the harsh Republican anti-immigrant policies as
anti-Latino and favor immediate beginning of
withdrawal from Iraq, expansion of public health care
programs and other measures that the Bush
administration and congressional Republicans have
blocked.
While 2.6 million more Latino votes would not alone
have changed George Bush's 3.5-million popular vote
margin over Democrat John Kerry in 2004, it would have
decisively changed the Electoral College vote. In five
states with large and growing Latino constituencies
where Bush narrowly defeated Kerry, Latinos favored
Kerry. These states are Florida with 27 electoral
votes, Arizona with 10, Colorado with 9, and New
Mexico and Nevada with 5 each. In the Electoral
College, 270 votes are needed to win. Bush won with
only 286 in 2004. Democratic victories in any three of
the five would have changed the result.
At the Congreso, Latino leaders projected that the
Latino vote could be decisive in key congressional
races in 20 states. New Mexico in particular was
singled out as an example with the recently announced
retirement of Republican Sen. Pete Domenici.
Republican Rep. Heather Wilson has announced she will
run for the open Senate seat. Wilson won re-election
to the House in 2006 by the narrowest of margins and
Democrats have a chance of winning both the open
Senate and House seats in 2008. (See related story.)
Latinos have been the fastest growing ethnic group in
registration and voting since 1980, increasing from
2.4 million registered voters and 2 million votes cast
in 1980 to 9.3 million registered and 7.6 million
votes cast in 2004. However, the Congreso's projected
growth to 12 million registered voters and 10 million
votes in 2008 would mean a qualitatively bigger jump.
Such an increase is possible, the Congreso delegates
said in unanimously approving a Voter Empowerment
Resolution that points out that there are 7 million
Latino eligible unregistered voters, and least 5
million Latino permanent residents who could become
citizens and eligible to register to vote.
The resolution joined with the Southwest Voter
Registration Project's call for "Latino
organizations/leaders to coalesce to form a national rosalio_munoz@
movement" to reach the 10 million voter turnout goal.
Special projects were mapped to focus on immigrants,
youth, Latinas, communities and churches in the coming
months. Congreso leaders were authorized to call
statewide meetings of Latinos and allies to initiate
efforts register and mobilize the Latino electorate
starting this November.
A major focus will be pressing states to fulfill
provisions of the National Voter Registration Act
requiring state public assistance agencies to offer
voter registration services to applicants and
clients. Stepped up efforts in states like Iowa and
North Carolina by public assistance agencies have
significantly increased the pace of voter registration
among lower income citizens.
The escalating attack on immigrants on federal, state
and local levels and in the media led by right-wing
Republicans has kept alive the immigrant rights slogan
of "Aqui estamos y no nos vamos, hoy marchamos, manana votamos" (We are here, we will stay, today we march, tomorrow we vote). The issue is a powerful motivator to interest Latinos in rejecting Republicans at the polls. But more will be needed to draw out Latino
voters of all generations in record numbers.
Development of a Latino empowerment agenda was a key
task of the Congreso.
That agenda, spelled out in 98 resolutions, emphasized
immigration reform, immediate end to the occupation of
Iraq and bringing all troops home, affordable health
care, support of the labor movement, public education
reform, affordable housing and good neighbor relations
with Latin America and the Caribbean.sbcglobal. _._,_.___net Monitor: Peter S. Lopez "Peta": sacranative@yahoo.com
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I am still here in my robe on my laptop and gotta get ready, take shower, morning rituals and all. I joined up with 'virb'. Cool website:
[See below story about "Test 'can spot Alzheimer's
risk".]
Reply to: Peter S. Lopez de-Aztlan
Funny...I am sorry, I can't remember why I'm sending
you this email?
Ahhh--ha ha, no? I can't remember my name?? Pause?????
Is it Billy? or Guillermo? or William? or Bill?
Willie? and who's GB? or Memo? Maybe I'm a Bejar?
Bejarano who is of Bejar? Maybe, I'm Aurelio a first
name requested by my birth parents? or El Azteca
calendar date name (Eagle 13 reed) or "figuratively"
AKA "Soy Joaquin" as "Zorro"?
Now I remember why, I write, I'm asking you go to
visit my new weblog site :
http://www.virb.com/bejarano
Caramba! Maybe I just remember too much!*
(*Thinking)...and bring a friend to my weblog, and sacranative@
don't "forget" to leave a message.
Yours truly,
I am 0101.
--- "Peter S. Lopez de-Aztlan" <yahoo.com >
wrote:
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/ 2/hi/health/ 7041192.stm
>
> Test 'can spot Alzheimer's risk'
>
> The test looks at levels of key
> proteins
>
> A newly developed blood test can identify those at
> risk of Alzheimer's disease up to six years before
> symptoms would become apparent, researchers say.
................Monitor: Peter S. Lopez "Peta": sacranative@yahoo.com
List owner: Guillermo Bejarano: aztlannet@yahoo.com
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