Puerto Rico – Most Successful Hispanic Voter Registration Campaign.

Governors Sila M. Calderon of Puerto Rico and Edward G. Rendell of Pennsylvania rallied Puerto Ricans in Pennsylvania to register to vote as part of a nationwide, non-partisan voter registration and education program targeting the 642,000 Puerto Ricans living in the mainland United States who were not registered to vote as of July 2002.

Pennsylvania is home to more than 228,557 Puerto Ricans — representing 60 percent of the state’s Latino population. In less than one year, the campaign has registered 119,255 voters nationwide including 11,277 in Pennsylvania as of June 1 and voter participation increased by more than 35 percent in targeted precincts in the 2002 general election and 25 percent in the recent 2003 primary.

Governor Calderon through the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration (PRFAA), is leading the educational effort to increase the number of Puerto Ricans registered to vote in the United States in order to empower Puerto Rican communities across the nation. By providing Puerto Ricans with comprehensive information and assistance, the campaign enables Puerto Rican voters to be heard and take action which will impact their own communities.

As Republicans and Democrats alike target the ever-growing Hispanic vote, Puerto Ricans have the opportunity to play a dramatic role in Pennsylvania politics. Residents will have the opportunity to decide a number of key, upcoming local races including Philadelphia’s mayoral race in 2003, as well as all 19 Pennsylvania Congressional seats and one U.S. Senate seat in 2004.

“This campaign is about solidarity, pride and empowerment,” Governor Calderon said. “We want to mobilize Puerto Ricans and raise awareness of their potential impact on elections in Pennsylvania, as well as issues that affect the Island.”

Governor Rendell supports Governor Calderon’s campaign to educate potential new voters. “Governor Calderon and I recognize that all citizens play an important role in the political process and should have the information and the opportunity to carry out their civic duty.”

Governor Calderon also announced the results of the ambitious campaign. “Our efforts to register Puerto Ricans living on the mainland have been extremely successful.” The Governor explains, “Over the past year, we have registered more than 100,000 unregistered voters. We are on target to have a big impact on the 2004 elections.”

The campaign’s success also can be seen in exit poll data made available following the 2002 elections. Polls shows a 70 percent increase in turnout among first-time Puerto Rican voters. In addition, 87 percent of 2002 Puerto Ricans surveyed said they were aware of the voter registration campaign and 54% said they were motivated to vote because the campaign drew a clear link between voting and benefiting their community and Puerto Rico. Since the campaign’s launch in July 2002, major voter registration rally events have been held in New York, New Jersey, Florida and now Pennsylvania — all states
with large Puerto Rican populations.

Pennsylvania and Puerto Rico also share strong economic ties. Puerto Rico exports $555 million worth of goods from Pennsylvania — creating more than 11,000 Pennsylvania jobs in 2001 according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers report. Puerto Rico ranks among the top five per capita consumers of U.S. goods and PricewaterhouseCoopers estimates that approximately 274,000 U.S. jobs are
attributable to Puerto Rico.

The campaign theme, “Que Nada Nos Detenga!” (Let Nothing Stop Us!), speaks directly to the Puerto Rican spirit of determination and hope for a better future, to encourage them to increase their participation in the democratic process, thereby positively impacting their communities both on the mainland United States and on the Island. Governor Calderon’s campaign combines grass-roots community outreach efforts with an aggressive, multi-facetedcommunications campaign reaching Puerto Rican neighborhoods across the nation.

Puerto Ricans living in Puerto Rico vote at a significantly higher rate than any state on the mainland — over 80 percent — but when measuring the voting rate of Puerto Ricans living in the continental U.S., the voting rate decreases nearly 40 percent. The voter registration campaign is helping to address this significant disparity and encourage the 1.7 million able Puerto Rican voters in the mainland United States to become engaged in the civic process. By focusing on the entire Puerto Rican community nationwide, Governor Calderon’s Administration hopes to arouse Puerto Rican interests and build political leverage from increased voter participation.

Mari Carmen Aponte, Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration discussed the progress of the aggressive program. “Our regional offices have worked hard to reach out to unregistered Puerto Ricans here in Pennsylvania by forming partnerships with 100 small businesses and 20 community-based organizations such as the Latino Partnership, our lead partner in Philadelphia,” she said.

“Many of these communities represent swing votes that could potentially decide elections across the nation. It is essential that we begin to recognize the value of this resource and utilize it to make a difference,” Governor Calderon added. According to the 2000 census, the mainland Puerto Rican population has grown to 3.4 million, a 28.5 percent jump in the last ten years alone. In addition, Puerto Ricans now reside in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. “This is all about enfranchising our people to effect change throughout the nation,” she said.

Puerto Rican communities are located in politically strategic areas and can become deciding votes in many states during future elections. In the 1992 Presidential election, 100 electoral votes were decided by a difference of less than two percent of the votes.

For more information at http://www.prfaa.com