Friend. Meet Ofelia Alonso, the director of Texas Rising. As a Latina leader, Ofelia has a unique perspective on the challenges and barriers her community faces when it comes to voting. Young Latino voters are the second-fastest-growing voting demographic in the country. In Texas alone, 6.5 million young Latino voters are eligible to vote for the first time in this election cycle. Ofelia and Texas Rising are mobilizing those voters, encouraging them to vote and do the relational organizing that can activate whole families and communities to create a culture of voting. In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, I spoke with Ofelia about the power of the Latino vote and the unique barriers to the ballot booth Latinos face — especially young Latino voters in Texas. READ MORE Voters in Texas face several barriers to voting, including strict voter ID laws. That’s where VoteRiders comes in. VoteRiders works with Texas Rising and thousands of other organizations to provide free and up-to-date information about voter ID for voters who are confused by these complicated laws. “We see that across the state, people of color and Latinos have a hard time acquiring state-issued identification due to lack of time, transportation, language-appropriate resources, and financial ability,” Ofelia told me. “We value that VoteRiders is a resource that we have in the state because it's very much needed. Our collaboration is strong, year-round, and very present in the work that we do.” Young Latinos in Texas have immense collective power. Texas Rising and VoteRiders are working together to ensure those voices can be heard in our democracy! Read more about this exciting partnership. Sincerely, Erin Carden Digital Communications Coordinator VoteRiders P.S. VoteRiders always covers the fees and transportation costs associated with getting a voter ID, because we believe cost should never be a barrier to voting. All gifts are currently being matched, which means we can help twice as many voters in battleground states like Texas! DONATE VoteRiders is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan nonprofit organization registered in the US under EIN 45-5081831. |