Radio stations serving Hispanic audiences are being asked to help listeners vote early. Yadira Sanchez, executive director of the civic group Poder Latinx, is urging broadcasters to promote Vote Early Day on October 24 and to commit to accurate, factual election information.
Vote Early Day is a nonpartisan national civic holiday. It encourages eligible voters to learn their options, make a plan and cast an early ballot, with caravans to the polls and community events in states across the country.
Sanchez made the case on Airtime, NAB's podcast, pointing to radio's reach. Katz Media Group figures put voter registration at 71% among Hispanic adults 18 and older. Of those registered, 75% say they always vote and 85% listen to AM/FM, while broadcast television reaches 61%. A separate Harker Bos Group study found that 69% of Spanish-speaking US adults use radio at least weekly.
"The role the broadcasters play is just such an important role in our democracy," Sanchez said. "Trusted messengers are vital, are vital not only for this election, but every election because we have elections every year."
She said early voting gives people time to fix problems before Election Day. "We have heard from voters there were signature mismatches that prevented their ballot from being cast. If you vote early, there's time to get those figured out," Sanchez said. For newsrooms trying to reach Latino listeners, her advice was to know the audience: the language, the spokesperson and the cultural moment all need to fit the community.
Stations that want to run voting messages can find promotional material on NAB's Spot Center.