By EFE
May 1, 2024, 8:55 PM EDT
The Action Fund of the American progressive organization Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) launched this Wednesday a campaign in English and Spanish to inform and motivate the participation of young voters in the south of the country in the November presidential elections.
The “We Decide” campaign (The South’s Got Now, in English) is aimed at the younger electorate, and especially at African Americans and Latinos who are just beginning to vote, the organization said this Wednesday at a press conference.
“Concerned by attempts to silence their voices”
“Today, some elected officials are doing everything they can to discourage and silence young people from voting, making them believe that they have no say,” Margaret Huang, president of the SPLC fund, warned at the conference.
An SPLC-commissioned survey of voters ages 18 to 40 in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi found that the majority of participants (59%) were “extremely concerned” about attempts to silence their voices.
Fifty-three percent were very concerned about lawmakers’ alleged efforts to close polling places and predominantly African-American neighborhoods, and 52% expressed concern about the denial of services in other languages such as Spanish at certain polling places.
Motivated to vote
The majority of respondents also said that they would be more motivated to vote if they felt represented by the candidates, if they had more information about the candidates for public office and the evidence of progress of those who are re-elected.
64% of voters felt more motivated to vote in November after receiving information about the importance of voting and civic engagement.
“This data tells an important story in the face of all the attempts by certain legislators, judges and election officials to diminish the electoral interest and strength of young people of color. “These young people still have optimism and faith in their vote and in our democracy,” Huang said.
The activist added that the votes of young people “have the power to change history and the young people of the south of the country are positioned to lead that change.”
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