California holds 25% of the country’s eligible Hispanic voters, yet only 60% of eligible Latinx voters are registered, lower than the national average.
Marisa Mendoza has been a U.S. citizen for over 30 years and has never voted in an election. That all changed when she attended one of the Latinx voter engagement workshops her daughter Karina Saldivar, a Cal Poly Spanish senior, helped organize this fall.
“It wasn’t until this workshop that she felt empowered to go out and vote this November for the first time in her life,” Saldivar said.
Since attending the workshop, Mendoza registered to vote and has already cast her vote for the 2024 U.S. elections.
These workshops, led by Cal Poly students with support from professors and the San Luis Obispo Clerk Recorder, occurred throughout the month of September at locations around the county. The focus was to increase Latinx voter empowerment in light of the upcoming elections.
About 50 Cal Poly students and community members attended the last workshop, which was held at the San Luis Obispo Library on Sept. 25. This workshop, along with the five others, offered voting resources and information in Spanish for eligible voters.
The workshop provided information on polling locations, eligibility, candidates, propositions and where to register to vote.
The idea for the workshops originated when Victoria Zamora, a Cal Poly communication studies professor, heard County Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg speak at the Latinx Empowerment Roundtable earlier this year.
“[Ortiz-Legg’s] call for Latino voter involvement really struck a chord with me,” Zamora said. “Without her leadership and support, this project wouldn’t exist.”
Spanish is the second-most spoken language in San Luis Obispo County, yet there are limited resources and outreach for Latinx voters, according to workshop organizers.
Many Latinx voters do not have access to adequate information due to language barriers, said Marion Hart, workshop co-leader and Cal Poly world languages and cultures professor.
“Participation in democracy is a right that should be accessible to everyone,” Hart said.
To help bridge these barriers, Cal Poly students Darius Jones, Alondra Cardoso and Saldivar spent the summer contacting various nonprofits, attending meetings and preparing for audience questions.
Having Cal Poly students lead these events was important to Hart and Zamora, who recognize the role universities can have in supporting the communities around them.
“It’s easy to become an island,” Hart said. “That’s why it’s so important to bring Cal Poly to the community.”
Saldivar shared that being a San Luis Obispo native has given her a unique perspective on the necessities of her home, and through these workshops she feels closer to her community.
“The reason I became involved in these workshops was to educate and empower the voices of our gente,” Saldivar said.
The students presented information along with Barbara Hurtado, a representative from the San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder. Her presentation touched on voter information, registration deadlines, voting methods and ballot information.
Hurtado, who works in the election department and speaks Spanish, realized how many people depend on others to cast their vote. She hopes that after seeing people like her in these offices, community members feel comfortable enough to come to her for help instead of relying on others.
Each workshop included activities to stimulate community member engagement on issues that impact them. Some that arose included the lack of access to affordable housing, free parking downtown and the need for bilingual resources.
“These kinds of dialogues are exactly what these workshops are meant to foster—open conversations where people can voice their concerns and get answers that directly impact their lives,” Zamora said.
The organizers hope that by creating a space where Latinx community members feel empowered, they will continue to use the resources available to them and participate in the election.
“My message to the Spanish-speaking community is simple: your vote matters,” Zamora said. “Your voice has power, and it can shape the future of your community.”
