About Democracia U.S.A.
Democracia U.S.A. (D-USA), a national nonpartisan Hispanic civic engagement, voter empowerment, community organizing, and leadership development organization, was founded in Florida in 2004. That year, D-USA registered 72,000 new Hispanic voters in that state, surpassing its original goal by 44 percent. In 2006, D-USA expanded to Arizona, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, registered more than 105,000 new Hispanic voters, and was credited by the Associated Press with generating 70% of all new non-partisan voter registrations in the Hispanic community. Now in its fourth year, D-USA has become a leading Hispanic outreach and organizing program with operations in five states.
2008 marks a new and exciting period in the development and growth of Democracia U.S.A. On March 1, D-USA began a new partnership with the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the nation. This new partnership will allow Democracia U.S.A. to realize its full potential while maximizing resources to better serve our country.
During 2008, Democracia U.S.A. will continue its sustained, long-term effort to conduct civic engagement activities, non-partisan voter registration, and GOTV in D-USA’s five established states: Florida, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Arizona. Our operations fully support a voter registration goal of over 106,000 new Hispanic voters.
D-USA’s sustainable, infrastructure-building approach is customized for each local community and includes the following components:
- Rigorous methodologies for voter engagement and quality control at all levels;
- A strong GOTV program;
- The hiring and training of local staff and the development of local leaders;
- Collaborative partnerships in each community;
- Rigorous research about Hispanic communities;
- Staff and canvassing teams that reflect the “pan-American” diversity in the Hispanic community (including, but not limited to, people from countries as diverse as Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, the United States, and Venezuela; and,
- A formal Leadership Academy program, where D-USA empowers a diverse group of Hispanics as leaders in their communities by teaching important leadership skills through workshops and on-the-ground training.
The combination of these practices gives Democracia U.S.A. a particular insight and approach to each community, making our operation highly effective and efficient and yielding the powerful results of which we are so proud.
Democracia U.S.A. is based in Miami and is led by Jorge Mursuli, President and CEO. Mr. Mursuli has been at the helm of the D-USA since the program was launched in 2004 as a partnership between People For the American Way Foundation and the Center for Immigrant Democracy.
2008 is a crucial electoral year for Democracia U.S.A. Together, we can achieve our mutual goal of creating the structural change needed for Hispanics to obtain the full participation and political power that will allow them to engage actively and fully in our democracy.
Our Communities
- Pennsylvania is ripe for upcoming Hispanic political participation with an established Puerto Rican community and emerging Mexican immigrant community. Interest in the democratic process can be felt in the area during the electoral cycles. Democracia U.S.A. estimates that approximately 84,000 Hispanics are eligible to be registered voters in Pennsylvania.
- Florida's Hispanic population in the Central part of the state continues to grow in numbers but not political prominence. In Osceola County, for example, there are no Hispanic elected officials despite being a third of the county's population. During 2006, two Federal lawsuits were brought by Hispanics seeking district elections for the city and county commissions. In addition to these challenges at the ballot box, an active KKK chapter operates in Osceola. Democracia U.S.A. has already registered 17,508 new voters in Central Florida and looks to have even greater success with the nearly 100,000 eligible Hispanics.
- South Florida has the largest Hispanic population in Florida and enjoys a rich political history for Hispanics and offers them a well established political infrastructure that includes significant elected Hispanic leadership at the local, state and federal level. Democracia U.S.A. estimates that approximately 321,000 Hispanics are eligible to be registered in South Florida. This dynamic makes South Florida a natural base for Democracia U.S.A.'s operation.
- New Jersey's Latino population has historically been mostly Puerto Rican and, like many settled communities in the Northeast, is growing and diversifying with the addition of newly arrived Dominicans, Mexicans, and other immigrants. Due to this dynamic combination of an emerging immigrant community and a civically engaged Puerto Rican community, Democracia U.S.A. plans to expand its operation to New Jersey. Democracia U.S.A. estimates that approximately 145,000 Hispanics are eligible to be registered in New Jersey.
- Arizona is seemingly losing ground in the fight for immigrant rights and protections. The anti-immigrant sentiment is palpable throughout the community and government. With no ongoing field infrastructure to counteract it, Democracia U.S.A. can help fill that void by working with the local leadership to empower the community; through education, civic engagement, and leadership training. Democracia U.S.A. estimates that there are approximately 275,000 Hispanics available to be registered.
- Nevada has a very diverse Hispanic population, with a mixture of Mexican, Central and South American and Caribbean Hispanic immigrants. As a result, there is a growing population of new immigrants as well as first and second generation Hispanics. Latinos account for 24% of Nevada’s population and 12% of the electorate. Nevada’s caucus was moved up during the Presidential election season in large part to include the Hispanic population in having a voice in selecting this year’s Presidential nominees. Democracia USA estimates that approximately 187,000 Hispanics are eligible to be registered to vote in the state of Nevada, primarily in the Las Vegas and Reno metropolitan areas.
