Dominicanos USA Registers Over 100,000 Voters in New York
Non-partisan effort announced today that their New York-based voter registration drive has registered over 100,000 voters, and are launching a major “Get out the Vote” initiative for 2016 Elections.
New York, NY June 23, 2016 – With several contested congressional primaries fast approaching, Dominicanos USA (DUSA), a non-profit organization established to empower, educate, and mobilize Dominican-Americans politically, announced today that they have registered an unprecedented 100,000 voters over the last two years. “To be able to reach this milestone achievement just proves the incredible political power that exists within the Dominican-American community. We’re so proud to be able to demonstrate that” said DUSA Board Chairman and spokesperson Manny Matos. “The real test of our work will be getting our community out to vote next Tuesday and letting the world know that Dominican-Americans are a political force to be reckoned with.”
“In just two short years, Dominicanos USA has made tremendous strides in empowering voters throughout New York City. We have all benefitted from their remarkable passion, dedication and hard work,” said Onida Coward Mayers, director of voter assistance at the New York City Campaign Board. “On behalf of everyone working on the NYC Votes campaign, I want to congratulate Dominicanos for their success in engaging 100,000 voters.” DUSA has deployed an aggressive grassroots voter registration effort in the streets of New York City, and despite historically low voter engagement in the community, each week the organization registers more than a thousand new voters. The results from this Dominican-American Voter registration drive are consistent with larger trends of the so-called “Rising American Electorate”, with 58% of people registered being woman and 43% Millennials between the ages of 18 and 29.
While celebrating the success of this campaign, DUSA also recognizes that this is only the beginning for this non-partisan effort. “On June 28th, New Yorkers will cast a ballot for congress that will shape their community, and the Dominican-American community wants to be part of that process. DUSA’s mission is to ensure that they are afforded that opportunity” said DUSA State Director Eddie Cuesta. DUSA kicked-off a historic Get out the Vote campaign on June 13, 2016 out of their South Bronx office. The organization has a team of mostly high school and college age canvassers knocking on doors and phone bankingvoters, delivering Election Day information. “I really enjoy the work we do because so many people have told me that without the information we provide they wouldn’t even know how to vote, even though they really wanted to” said DUSA phone canvasser Sonia Santana. By Election Day June 28, DUSA anticipates their GOTV campaign will make over 120,000 outreach attempts to New York voters between door to door, phone, and direct mail components.
DUSA is leading the way for a community that has long been neglected politically, and understands their civic responsibility and the connection they have to make for Dominican-Americans when it comes to voting. Beyond the Dominican-American community, this effort is part of an important larger conversation about voting and the need for it throughout Latino communities. By the general election, 1.88 million Latinos will eligible to vote in New York, with 391,000 being Dominican-Americans. This number will continue to grow at a rapid rate with the Dominican-American population expected to become the largest Latino group in New York City.
Dominicanos USA fact sheet:
https://dominicanosusa.org/wp-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95pRpmsBIco
