DC Latino Caucus Kicks off Election Season 2024! Here's Our Plan For Ensuring Latino Voices Get Heard
Hello, friends!
Where did the summer go? We hope you had a great one. Our Board took a rest in anticipation of what happens next, and we are ready to go!
We are kicking off what promises to be a momentous 2024 election season. In addition to the usual excitement around the local elections, we have the backdrop of federal elections that could literally decide the fate of our country's democracy given the possibility of Trump's return to office. As Latinos, we have an increasingly powerful voice in our city's and our nation's politics, and must help safeguard our democracy and our interests at every level of government.
In DC there are elections happening for Council in Wards 2, 4, 7, and 8 as well as two At-Large seats. At the federal level, in addition to the presidential election the city will be voting on its Congressional delegation that represents us in the absence of statehood (US Delegate, US Shadow Representative and Senators). There is also a proposed Initiative 83, which seeks to implement Ranked Choice Voting and a semi-open primary system allowing independent voters to vote in party primaries.
In addition, the city's recent passage of legislation allowing non-citizens to vote in local elections means that voter education efforts will be needed to ensure that non-citizen Latinos who previously could not vote will understand and exercise their new right to do so.
Do we have enough to do or what?!
Here is our plan for ensuring that DC Latinos participate politically at every level:
September/October 2023: DCLC will be conducting elections for two candidates, our Ex-Officios, to represent us and our Latino community before the DC Democratic Party leadership. These are key liaison roles that ensure our views are represented in Democratic Party decision-making and activities at the local and national levels. An announcement with more information is imminent, stay tuned.
October 2023: we will be hosting a meet and greet with our Ex-Officio candidates as well as the city's Latino Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners (ANC's), which are at the forefront of public service in our communities. We are increasingly focusing on our Latino ANC's as a way of cultivating future leaders and candidates for higher public office, and that starts here.
Winter 2023: we are looking into conducting a public forum for one of the races. We are particularly interested in Ward 4, which is the ward with the highest Latino population in the city.
February 2024: we will be conducting our member endorsement meeting and host candidates seeking our Caucus's endorsement. Remember how in 2022 almost every candidate appeared at our forum asking for our endorsement? We are going to do it again.
February/March 2024: Our members will vote on whether to endorse candidates running in the 2024 election.
March through June 2024: we will conduct fundraising, knock on doors, educate non-citizen and citizen voters, and actively help our endorsed candidates get out the vote and win the important DC Democratic Primary!
July through November 2024: Our attention mostly shifts to the national elections to help Democrats win the White House and Congressional seats. We will phone bank and coordinate with the DC Democrats to send volunteers to other states to knock on doors and get out the vote.
Please join us and volunteer to help make all of this happen!
We are an all-volunteer organization. If you would like to help with making any of the above activities happen, please get in touch! (information@dclatinocaucus.org).
You can also support us by becoming a member today. Your annual membership dues support our activities and also entitle you to vote in our upcoming activities.
Thank you as always for your support!
Warm regards,
Jose “Joe” Barrios
President