Telenovelas, Spanish-language soap operas, are growing in popularity. In the US, according to Nielsen data, telenovelas have about 6 million viewers per week, more than twice as many as soap operas.
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With the goal of connecting with Latino communities through likable characters and compelling storylines, Poder NC aims to ignite a passion for civic engagement, encourage young Latinos to normalize talking about “taboo topics” like politics and abortion, and establish a cultural practice of voting.
“We want young Latinos to see voting as a rite of passage, just as young Latinas look forward to their quinceañera. The Latino electorate is not inherently apathetic. But traditional candidates and campaigns fail to engage us in a culturally relevant way. This leads to low political agency and low voter turnout,” said Irene Godinez, founder and co-executive director of Poder NC, which created the mini-telenovela.
“Alexia the Voter” is a six-episode mini-telenovela that follows young Latina Alexia as she finds her voice in her personal life, in the workplace, and ultimately as an informed voter who inspires other voting skeptics. Filled with humor, heartfelt moments, and nods to Latino pop culture, each short episode touches viewers on both a cultural and emotional level. We watch Alexia go from being unsure about her ability to vote to a role that helps her make a difference. It’s a relatable and inspiring story that encourages everyone to find their voice and take action!
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Why Latinos don’t vote
There are many reasons why many Latinos do not vote. Often there are several factors:
- Poorer urban residents may lack necessary transportation options and be unfamiliar with local politics.
- They are hampered by what they see as a non-user-friendly voting system. The use of postal ballots can be confusing and restrictive in terms of the application process and eligibility to vote.
- In-person voting is limited to a single day and time, which is the working hours of people who often work in jobs that do not allow them to take time off to vote.
Moreover, new Americans have historically lagged behind natives in voting. Experts say the low number of naturalized citizens participating in the electoral process is not due to a lack of interest, but to barriers such as language, inadequate representation in government, and public relations efforts by Democrats and Republicans.
“For some Latino voters, it’s not necessarily because they don’t understand English, but because they don’t identify with the candidates,” says Valeriano Ramos, director of strategic alliances at Everyday Democracy. told Connecticut Latino News.
Polls show that both parties are struggling to gain the trust of Latinos. Survey from July 2024 According to a poll released by the Pew Research Center, only five in 10 Latino voters believe the Democratic Party cares about people like them. In comparison, four in 10 Latino voters think the same about the Republican Party.
Culture Concepts, a private research firm, was involved in a study that found that eligible Latino voters feel disempowered by sporadic outreach by campaigns. New voters or those who did not vote in the last election are not actively courted through phone calls or home visits.
The influence of Latino voters depends on which major political party can effectively mobilize them to vote. In North Carolina, the Latino community makes up 11 percent of the population and 4 percent of registered voters, with the number of eligible voters growing rapidly. This demographic could have a significant impact on the presidential election, which often remains tight until the very end in this competitive swing state.
Poder NC’s committed initiative is part of a comprehensive outreach strategy aimed at reaching 150,000 “promising” Latino voters in North Carolina – individuals who may be less likely to vote but have the potential to significantly influence the election outcome.
The strategy includes door-to-door advertising, targeted mailings linking to the videos, digital ads and “Ballots y Belleza” events at beauty salons, including hair, nail, makeup and waxing salons.
Ballots and beauty
“Ballots and beauty is a place where you can come and gain confidence because you know what’s on your ballot, who’s on your ballot, and who you’re going to support. And you walk out with your beauty service and you strut your beauty,” Godinez said.
Poder NC’s signature event provides a fun civic education opportunity for new Latino voters who have voted less than twice. “At Ballots y Belleza, our voters are pampered with a free beauty service while a Poder ambassador shows them their sample ballot and educates them on each office on their ballot,” the website states. “Our goal is to ensure community members, voters and non-voters are confident and informed about how to use one of their most powerful tools – their vote.”
“Latinas tend to vote very well when they know the candidates and their positions. So we wanted to make sure we were supporting our community through beauty, information and civic education – so they develop the confidence they need to vote,” Godinez said.
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Intersections of Our Lives, a collaboration involving the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, conducted a Survey to find out what women of color prioritize in the upcoming electionLupe Rodríguez, executive director of NLIRJ, discussed what motivates Latina voters in this year’s election. an interview with Ms. magazine.
“Many in the community are somewhat or very motivated to vote – 87 percent of Latin American respondents said so. Seventy-five percent of Latin American respondents support access to abortion and 75 percent strongly agree that simply legalizing abortion is not enough, but they also said they want to make sure people have access to abortion care,” Rodríguez said.
Thanks in part to Poder NC’s efforts, Latino first-time voters in North Carolina accounted for 40 percent of total voter turnout in 2020—the largest percentage increase in first-time voters in the entire country.
“We are showing the nation that young people and Latinos belong and that we can use our voices to make life better for our families and everyone else,” Godinez said.
