The upcoming Iowa caucus kicks off the 2016 presidential election and provides the Latino community with an early opportunity to show its political strength. The Iowa caucuses have historically played a key role in presidential elections because they are the first to identify the true front runners for the presidential campaigns. In turn, the winning candidates gain momentum from voter support and media attention heading into the primaries. This is why the vast majority of candidates spend critical resources in Iowa.
Latino voter participation is poised to play a significant role in the Iowa caucus on February 1. For the past decade, the Latino population in Iowa has been growing faster than the national rate, and has resulted in a larger Latino population within the Hawkeye State. As a result, the Latino community can impact an important caucus, provided they turn out and participate. In an effort to ensure Latino voter participation, the League of United Latin American Citizens in Iowa has invested significant resources in voter registration and voter education efforts. With the goal of engaging over 10,000 Latinos, the LULAC Iowa campaign is the first statewide effort that includes an outreach and education component to engage the Latino community to turn out to vote on caucus night. The Iowa LULAC campaign is also looking to mobilize Latinos beyond the Iowa caucus to the entire presidential election cycle.
On a national scale, LULAC is working to ensure Latinos are engaged and well versed on the issues that impact our community the most. At this year's 19th Annual LULAC Legislative Conference and Awards Gala, LULAC members from across the country will travel to Washington D.C. During the two day event, members will meet with agency leaders and Members of Congress to discuss how present policies and regulations regarding health, education, and immigration impact the Latino community. The legislative conference provides an opportunity to motivate our members to participate in the primary election season as well as the general election. The conference helps members understand the key issues important to their community and in turn, address those issues to candidates looking for Latino support.
Following the Legislative Conference, LULAC will be working to ensure Latino voter participation throughout the primary season. The campaign will require a state by state effort spearheaded by local LULAC councils. In addition, LULAC National will work with its media partners to ensure that the Latino community is engaged in the electoral process and focusing primarily on getting out the vote. Finally, LULAC will be closely monitoring any effort to create roadblocks to keep minority voters from voting. LULAC will be working hard to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to engage in the electoral process.
Ultimately, candidates would do well to remember that the Latino population is 55 million strong. We are an informed and motivated voting block who will exercise our right to vote and will play a key role in deciding the next president of the United States.