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Media Releases
| For Release On: |
Contact: Javier Gonzalez |
| November 18th, 2006 |
(714) 727-9409 |
LATINO VOTE PROPELS LOU CORREA TO APPARENT VICTORY
NEW ORGANIZATION'S LATINO GET-OUT-THE-VOTE EFFORT PROVIDES
CALIFORNIA SENATE CANDIDATE WITH APPARENT RAZOR-THIN MARGIN
Precinct walkers targeting Latino occasional voters provided the apparent razor-thin margin of victory in Lou Correa's run for California's 34th Senate District. The get-out-the vote effort by SOL-PAC generated more than 12,000 commitments to vote for Candidate Correa. In Orange County, SOL-PAC had 80 walkers speaking with Latino voters election weekend, and 40 walkers the month leading up to the election.
"Latinos vote when people speak with them about the issues that matter to their families", noted SOL-PAC Executive Director Javier Gonzalez. "Across the state and here in Orange County, SOL precinct walkers were able to motivate Latino voters by talking to them about issues like better schools and quality affordable health care."
SOL-PAC, or Strengthening Our Lives, is a state-wide coalition of labor and community organizations dedicated to ensuring that the issues that matter to immigrant Latino working families are addressed by elected officials. Historically Latino immigrants have been less active than other groups in the political process.
SOL-PAC's get-out-the vote campaign included direct mail, radio commercials and door-to-door contacts. SOL-PAC's precinct walkers were overwhelming immigrant Latinos drawn from the very same neighborhoods they are canvassing in.
SOL-PAC strategically focuses its efforts on motivating occasional voters to go to the election polls. Occasional voters are commonly defined as having voted in one to three of the last five elections. In previous elections, SOL-PAC has increased these voters turnout by as much as 22 percentage points.
In Orange County, SOL-PAC's precinct walkers were drawn from a variety of organizations including SEIU, UNITE-HERE and ACORN.
SOL-PAC state-wide targeted more than 440,000 Latino voters and reaching 105,000 households on election weekend. Over the last four days of the election SOL had 800 precinct walkers. In the month leading up to election day, SOL-PAC had as many as 400 precinct walkers. SOL-PAC was founded in 2005 by SEIU and UNITE HERE. This fall it has expanded its efforts from its Southern California roots into Fresno and San Jose.
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Contact Javier Gonzalez at (714) 564-9974 for more information on SOL's civic participation work in the Golden State.
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