"a united voice in our community"
Odessa, Texas
The Odessa Civic Engagement Project mission is to empower citizens by increasing their participation in the American democratic process. We do this by providing education in local and county government, networking with other organizations, mobilizing voters, providing training and community information.
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Voter Mobilization
As diverse populations grow by leaps and bounds nationally and locally, Una Voz Unida, recognizes a major opportunity for Hispanics to influence local politics. Historically, Hispanic voter participation rates have been very low in our city and county elections. These low rates can be attributed partly to the lack of attention from both major political parties. Una Voz Unida believes that in-person – face to face canvassing, door-to-door outreach and live phone banks are the most effective way to mobilize Hispanic voters. Our volunteers will encourage turnout, provide information about the place and hours for voting, identify voters who need transportation on election day, and recruit other volunteers.
What we know
Anglos register and vote at the highest percentages, followed by African Americans, and then by Latinos. Election experts and some Latino advocates previously have asserted that the Hispanic community’s demographic characteristics – low median age, high rate of immigration, low educational attainment levels, and high poverty rate – largely explained its relatively low rate of voter participation.
The Challenge
We must educate the community on how we contribute to our society. We must inform the community of our political strength possibilities, buying power and labor power. We have the ability to make a differnece for our future. We must empower our community through education in the political process and develop leaders for political office. Uniting with other community organizations and centralizing our political strength, we can make a difference.
Target Mobilization Dates
- May 10th, 2010 Odessa City Council Elections
District Elections:
- District 3 - Royce Bodiford
- District 4 - Dean Combs
- District 5 - Ben Velasquez
Ector County Precinct Elections:
- County Judge - Susan Redford
- Precinct 2 - Greg Simmons
- Precinct 4 - Armando Rodriguez
If you are interested in seeking any of these seats please contact us.
