PORT ARTHUR, Texas — Ahead of the November 8, 2022 primary elections, a Southeast Texas group is pushing to get more people in the Hispanic community registered to vote in Jefferson County.
The Hispanic Proactive Coalition is hosting an event Tuesday, August 23, 2022 at the La Plaza Garibaldi in Port Arthur.
The groups goal is to, “empower the Hispanic community of Jefferson County through political engagement such as voter registration, voter education, and voter participation,” according to the mission statement on their website.
Hispanic voter turnout has been low in recent elections, according to Hispanic Proactive Coalition President Daniel Cruz. He hopes the event will encourage the Hispanic community to get excited to head to the polls.
"In our great country of America, we have the right and privilege to vote, and so I think that many people come here seeking those types of rights and privileges, and so if you can do it, then I encourage you to get out and cast that vote," says Cruz.
Cruz blames low turnout and registration numbers on confusion.
"There's an enormous amount of information being shared, but is it being shared in the right places? In the right locations? And also, is there sufficient time given ahead of time," Cruz said.
There will be bilingual voter registrars at Tuesday’s event to help potential voters get registered and provide education on the voting process.
“Easy access and again just encouraging them and letting them know that we'll have bilingual staff on hand, so that way they can ask us questions in Spanish if that's the language they feel most comfortable with,” Cruz said.
In order to vote in the primaries, you must register at least 60 days in advance. The deadline to register is October 11, 2022.