Democracia USA launches Nevada Hispanic voter project
DUSA
Jul 21, 2008
Las Vegas, NV, July 10, 2008 -- Democracia USA (D-USA), a national non-partisan Hispanic voter registration and civic engagement program, today officially launched its Nevada operation and released a study showing the growth and trends among this state’s Hispanic electorate. Since 2000, Hispanic voters in Nevada have more than doubled, now making them 11% of the state’s total electorate. Since April of this year, D-USA has been responsible for registering 3,500 new Hispanic voters in Nevada.
D-USA began operating in Las Vegas in 2006 when it launched a paid media campaign aimed at educating Hispanic voters and encouraging them to vote. The success of that effort, and the overwhelmingly positive reaction from Nevada’s Hispanic community, led D-USA to expand its presence to an operation now consisting of a state director, Marco Rauda, and a field staff of 12 canvassers that have been registering new Hispanic voters by visiting homes, businesses, community centers and public events. This year, D-USA is on pace to register over 10,000 new voters in Nevada in time for the upcoming November 2008 elections.
“The rapid growth of Nevada’s Hispanic electorate in such a short period of time is an exciting phenomenon. Hispanics in Nevada are beginning to leave an everlasting mark on the politics of this state.” stated Jorge Mursuli, President of Democracia USA. “We are very proud of the work we are doing to enfranchise thousands of Hispanics in Nevada. Their impact will definitely be felt in this election and others for years to come.”
A Growing Hispanic Presence in Nevada
According to D-USA’s study, conducted by Bendixen and Associates, Nevada’s Hispanic electorate has grown from 53,000 to 116,000 voters since 2000, while the state’s Hispanic population has grown from about 394,000 to 610,000 residents during that same period of time. Some of the highlights of the study are:
- Eighty percent of the state’s Hispanic voters reside in Clark County.
- Nevada’s Hispanic voters are young. Sixty-three percent are under the age of 49 and only thirteen percent are over age 65.
- Over a third of Nevada’s Hispanic voters – thirty-six percent - are American born.
- Nevada’s Hispanic voters are not new to the state. Two-thirds of them have lived here at least 10 years; and over a quarter of them have lived in Nevada more than 20 years.
- Sixty nine percent cited the economy and jobs as the biggest issue for them. That is a shift from last year when forty one percent listed the Iraq war as their most important issue.
- Most Nevada Hispanics do not appear to be connected to local community groups. Eighty five percent responded that they do not participate in charitable, civic, business or sports associations.
- A quarter of the Hispanic voters surveyed belong to a labor union.
About Democracia USA
Established in 2004, Democracia USA (D-USA) is a national non-partisan Hispanic civic engagement program that seeks to increase the prominence and participation of Hispanics in the American democratic process through Empowerment, Leadership Training, and Civic Participation. D-USA, a partner with the National Council of La Raza, also empowers Hispanics by increasing their participation in the electoral process and registering them as voters, educating them in a non-partisan way about important to their communities and motivating them to vote. D-USA has operations in Arizona , Florida, New Jersey, Nevada and Pennsylvania. In 2006, the organization registered over 105,000 new Hispanic voters in the United States.
