Willie Veelasquez Essay

Willie Velasquez, founder of the Southwest Voter Registration Project, was responsible for the growth of Latino voters in Texas that started many years ago. His commitment to politics influenced many people to use their voice by voting. Texas has a rough voting history because over the years numbers have decreased and increased. Velasquez did influence the Latino community to go out and vote, but he didn’t necessary attract all of Texas’ attention. Regardless, number of voters isn’t what is important, what’s important is actually going out to vote.

Willie Velasquez was a very well-known activist during his life. He was born in San Antonio, Texas and became interested in politics at a very young age. His first concern was San Antonio’s community.

The number of voters has either increased, decreased, or remained the same over the years. Texas has been ranked as one of the lowest states for voter turnout. Though, numbers tend to be at their highest when it comes to presidential elections, rather than for mid-term elections. There are many reasons for this constant low-voter turnout. The most common reason is of course related to Latinos. The Latino community is seen as the poor, uneducated, and the un-American. In the past, the Latino population did not engage much with politics, and of course that has changed, but Texas still has the lowest Hispanic vote turnout compared to other states. This has ultimately affected the Democratic Party. Most Latinos are Democrats, but they don’t vote either way because of the viability of candidates and lack of motivation. Voter registration drives don’t really encourage Latinos when they promote voting. Latinos don’t receive a call, postcard or letter about polls sometimes. The Latino community is said to be the cause for low-voter turnout, but if we are not informed, or encouraged to vote, what else is there to be expected. I believe that precincts, and even candidates, have to make an effort to encourage Latinos to vote, instead of discriminating based on stereotypes. In order to make a change, there has to be equal communication between voters and candidates, otherwise the voter-turnout will keep