(MILWAUKEE, WI) – Voces de la Frontera Action is making its last push in the state’s primary election season today as thousands turn in mail-in ballots and visit polling locations, even while the state reaches five thousand COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic. Our push is targeted at new and infrequent Latinx voters, who are historically victims of racialized voter suppression in Wisconsin and who are being targeted now by Republican attacks on mixed-immigration status families.

Eugenia Medina is a member of the Voceros network, our relational voter program that reaches out to people in the Latinx community to get their friends and families involved in the political process. Medina is a recently naturalized Mexican-American immigrant who voted for the first time today.

“My experience was wonderful, very exciting and emotional, because I wanted to vote for a long time and I could not,” said Medina about her voting experience today. “If we want to change to a better life in the United States, we are part of that change,” she said with tears caught in her voice.

Medina has been a Voces volunteer for many years, and since 2016 has been involved in the Voceros relational voter program by calling her friends and her community and encouraging them to vote. “I love elections because we can motivate people,” she said. “I am an immigrant and I know what it means to be an immigrant. Everybody can go and vote. We can make the difference, and especially now. If you want to change this world, go and vote.”

Voces de la Frontera Action volunteers have had to adapt their outreach effort during these unprecedented times through a robust phone banking, caravan and digital program. In our statewide phonebank program we have made 115,459 calls since May, helping people register to vote, check their registration status, and request absentee ballots. 634 of those reached confirmed they are voting for our endorsed candidates today, who have proved their commitment to championing immigrant and labor rights in Wisconsin. Today, volunteers are making last-minute calls to 4,000 potential voters to remind them polls remain open until tonight.

Fabi Maldonado, the Political Director of Voces de la Frontera Action, said:

“The Latinx vote is very critical here in Wisconsin, and our goal is to deliver this election not only for our state but for the nation as well. Our work today is integral to building voting power for November by engaging new and infrequent voters, and in doing so, making Wisconsin a welcoming and progressive state for all working people regardless of their backgrounds.”

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