Palm Beach County's newest citizens get help signing up to vote from Miami-based Democracia USA
Luis F. Perez
SunSentinel.com
Oct 2, 2008
Immigrants like Dulce Somick, of Boca Raton, are the target.
Minutes after the Venezuelan national swore her allegiance to this country, she was swarmed by people with pens and clipboards.
Register to vote. You only have until Oct. 6 — the deadline to register, said the clipboard holders wearing white Democracia USA T-shirts.
It didn't take much convincing for Somick to register.
"I want to exercise my right to vote," she said, after filling out a registration form. "It's one of the most important rights citizens have."
In South Florida and across the country, groups such as the Miami-based Democracia USA target newly minted American citizens.
It's part of national effort by the We Are American Alliance, which includes 14 groups, to get eligible immigrants to the polls. Teams work naturalization ceremonies and canvass door-to-door in immigrant-rich areas. They focus on Hispanics, but don't turn anyone away.
Democracia USA teams go to Hollywood, Davie and Weston at least twice a week. They canvass in Fort Lauderdale and Deerfield Beach as well, group officials said.
They have registered 1,900 in Palm Beach County, 4,400 in Broward County and 29,600 in Miami-Dade County. As of Thursday, the alliance said it had signed up 77,000 Florida immigrants and a total of 373,000 in 13 states to vote.
"The energy of the people that just became citizens is amazing," said Rudi Navarra, national program coordinator for Democracia USA. "People are excited, and when they get the opportunity to register, they jump at it."
At the large naturalization ceremonies in Miami, up to 1,000 new voters are registered at a time, Navarra said. In general, Broward County immigrants travel to Miami to be sworn in. At West Palm Beach's immigration offices, Democracia USA signs up about 100 new citizens after ceremonies, he said.
Paco Fabian, an alliance spokesman, said the national voter drive grew out of the immigrant marches of 2006 that saw millions across the country advocating for immigration reform.
"We saw this as the natural next step," he said.
The alliance hopes to register 500,000 new citizens to vote and then get 1 million immigrants to the polls on Election Day, Fabian said.
Walter Amador, of Palm Bay and a Nicaraguan native, plans to be one of them. He registered to vote at the first chance he got when approached by Democracia USA.
"I want to make sure I'm part of the process," Amador said afterward. "I want to make sure my voice counts."
Luis F. Perez can be reached at lfperez@SunSentinel.com or 954-356-4553 .
