Last week, the Latino Community Foundation joined forces with Univision 34 and Cal State Fullerton to host a historic student-led Townhall to discuss the importance of the 2020 Presidential Election and 2020 Census.
Why did this historic partnership come about? Because California’s Latino youth are and will be the guardians of our democracy.
Next year, there will be over 7.7M eligible Latino voters in the 2020 Presidential Election. In the hotly-contested Congressional District 39, where Cal State Fullerton is located, approximately 1 in 3 voters are Latino. Many of these voters are students from the university.
What’s more, 1 in 4 residents in Orange County are considered hard-to-count for the 2020 Census. With this being the first digital census to occur, it will be through our tech-savvy and civically engaged youth that we will achieve a complete count by helping their friends, families and neighbors fill out the form.
The townhall was viewed by over 80,000 people on Univision’s digital platforms and moderated by Univision Digital anchor Yarel Ramos. A fantastic panel featured Ely Flores from the NALEO Educational Fund, Jeanette Vásquez of the Fullerton School Board, and Cal State Fullerton President Aaron Aguilar.
The audience consisted of Cal State Fullerton students, members of the Latino Community Foundation’s Orange County Giving Circle, and various Latino nonprofits across the region.
Throughout the discussion, it became quite clear: 2020 is about securing our rights to power and money! Latino youth are eager to get involved, as one of the youth organizers from TODEC Legal Center stated during the Q&A, “Because of this discussion, I will make sure that I get my friends and family counted in 2020!”
If we are to strengthen our democracy that includes the voices of all people, then we must start with our youth.
Take the time today to talk to them about voting and the census. Register them to vote and secure their commitments to fill out the census form. Our democracy depends on it!
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