For Immediate Release
November 2, 2006

SVREP’S “MARCH TODAY, VOTE TOMORROW” VOTER PARTICIPATION PROGRAMS SPRINT TOWARDS ELECTION DAY IN KEY STATES

LOS ANGELES, CA – Southwest Voter Registration Education Project (SVREP), the nation’s largest and oldest Latin voter participation organization today announced it is nearing completion of its largest non-presidential get-out-the-vote effort in the history of the 32-year old organization, targeting recently registered Latino voters in California, Texas, Florida, New Mexico and Washington State.

“The stakes are high in this election,” said Antonio Gonzalez, president of SVREP. “Decisions on immigration reform, the war in Iraq, the economy, health care, the war in Iraq, education, and the environment will be made by those who get elected. And the Latino community is determined to have a say in those vital issues.”

Having completed a Latino youth voter registration effort that yielded 14,625 voters from 45 heavily Latino colleges in six states (Colorado, Washington, New Mexico, California, and Texas), SVREP moved in October to set up its GOTV and voter education projects. Targeted states included California, Texas, Florida, New Mexico and Washington State.

For California, SVREP sent out nearly 98,000 vote-by-mail absentee registration forms to recently registered voters and augmented that mailing with a phone bank operation that will make 250,000 calls by Election Day. At the same time, SVREP’s final weekend canvass will reach 6,000 Latino voter households. As a result SVREP expects to mobilize 30,000 to 50,000 first time gubernatorial election voters. Key areas for SVREP focus include CD’s 11 and 50 as well as the LA metropolitan area.

In Texas, the phone bank operation will have made more than 18,000 calls in the 23 rd Congressional District by Election Day, and expects to mobilize between 3,000 and 4,000 first time voters.

In the hotly contested 1 st CD in New Mexico by Election Day SVREP will have made 14,000 calls and plans to reach 1,000 households in its final canvass this weekend. SVREP expects to mobilize between 2,000-4,000 first time voters in this race.

In Florida, over 32,000 calls will have been made to voters in the 16 th CD and 22 nd CD by Election Day, augmented with a final weekend canvass program that will contact 1,000 households. SVREP expects to mobilize between 4,000 and 9,000 first time voters. And in Washington State’s 15 th Senate District, more than 2,400 phone calls have already been made and will yield between 400-800 new voters.

“Expanding voter registration numbers is an important first step but SVREP is also taking follow-up steps to mobilize Latino voters wherever we are working,” added Antonio Gonzalez. “We’ve spent the better part of a year preparing for this final stretch in the election and we’re intent on delivering newly registered Latino voters to the polls.”

For the first time in its history, SVREP is also utilizing the Internet to remind voters about Election Day. In California, more than 350,000 voters will receive multiple e-mail message reminding voters about the importance of voting and urging Latino voters to get out to the polls on Election Day. Some 50,000 voters in New Mexico, Texas, Florida and Washington State will also receive e-mail messages by Election Day.

And SVREP released its 2006 public service announcements featuring “A Day Without a Mexican” star Yareli Arizmendi and “Napoleon Dynamite” star Efren Ramirez. Both PSA’s are running in major media markets in English and Spanish throughout the U.S.

None of the messages, via phone, mail or e-mail urge election of one candidate over the other. As a non-partisan, non-profit, SVREP is reminding voters about the importance of voting and urging Latino voters to get out and exercise their right to vote.

SVREP was founded in 1974 in San Antonio, Texas by the late Latino voting rights champion Willie Velasquez. SVREP is a nonpartisan, non-profit, 501©3 organization that conducts activities in 16 states and maintains offices in San Antonio, Los Angeles and Miami. During its tenure, SVREP has registered more than 2,000,000 voters.

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