In trying to GOTV with young Hispanics and others, I'm always surprised at how many young people really don't think that voting is important at all. It’s been 2 long years of absolutely immoral and unconscionable deportations, border separations and every other nightmare, so it mystifies me how anyone hasn’t figured out how much they, personally, have to lose. But these folks are out there, and we’ve got to get them into the polls.
What I've found effective in speaking with them one-on-one is to ask them if they have any undocumented family members or friends. They'll usually laugh nervously and say something like "of course". I then ask them what they'll say to their little cousins, nephews or friends when something like this happens to them. That usually stops them for a moment. I then tell them that their vote is not just for themselves — their vote is for their loved ones because they don't HAVE a voice right now. And that, if any of this should happen to someone they personally care about, they're going to regret not using it. Walking them through this, point by point, has been successful when I'm one-on-one with folks. Usually (not always, but usually) they finally come around and realize that yeahhhhhh, maybe they should go on and vote.
In talking with one of Obama’s campaign consultants over the weekend, this was the topic of the day — closing this gap with nonvoters, especially young Latinx. What I've seen work firsthand, one-on-one, isn't necessarily scaleable to a mass audience as easily as, for example, sending out a mailer.
I think this video can help. It paints the picture of how personal the consequences will be for them. It breaks it down to — do they care about their loved one or not, and wouldn't they do EVERYTHING THEY POSSIBLY COULD DO to stop this from ever happening? That answer is, of course, yes.
I've seen this message be effective one on one, and I think this may be one way we can make it scaleable on a bigger level and get many, many more young Latinx and millennials to the polls.
Please follow me on Twitter: @VoteOrLose