Washington, DC – The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., will announce a new partnership with Democracia U.S.A., a national nonpartisan Hispanic civic engagement program that was responsible for registering 104,000 new Hispanic voters in 2006. The two groups view their relationship as a major step toward increasing the participation of Hispanic Americans in the political process.

As the fastest-growing demographic group, Hispanics have already shown the power of their vote in primary races across the country. This new alliance, in which Democracia U.S.A. will become a subsidiary of NCLR, will significantly increase the resources and capacity available for Latino voter empowerment, leadership training, and civic engagement. Increasing Hispanic participation in the electoral process is critical for NCLR’s mission to improve opportunities and open doors for Hispanic Americans.

Democracia U.S.A. was originally launched in 2004 by People for the American Way Foundation in Florida and registered 72,000 new voters in Florida that year. In 2006, the project expanded to Arizona, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania and was credited by the Associated Press with registering 70% of all new nonpartisan Hispanic voters.

MEDIA ADVISORY

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