* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. THE [00:00:01] OPINIONS EXPRESSED ON LATINA VOICES AND ITS GUESTS DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE OPINIONS OF HDV TELEVISION OR THE CITY OF HOUSTON. WELCOME TO LATINA VOICES SMART TALK. SOPHIA ROGE, TEXAS SUPER LAWYER. THIS IS A SPECIAL EDITION INDICATIVE OF OUR ABILITY IN 2022 TO PIVOT AND MOVE FORWARD AND UPWARD. WE HAD THE LUXURY RECENTLY IN ENGAGING IN A STATE OF CIVIL ENGAGEMENT, WHAT TRANSPIRED AS PART OF MY EFFORTS AS THE MAYOR'S HISPANIC ADVISORY BOARD. WE SPOKE TO EXPERTS. WE SPOKE TO CONGRESSWOMAN SYLVIA GARCIA LAA, WHO HAS BLESSED HOUSTON FOR 50 YEARS OF HER VERY PERSONAL, VERY SUCCESSFUL CIVIC ENGAGEMENT. WE ALSO HAD ANGIE RUSSELL, ONE OF THE MILLENNIUMS. YES, A PROUD RICE GRADUATE, AND SHE IS THE TEXAS DIRECTOR OF MI FAMILIA VTA. WE ALSO HAD CLAUDIA ORTEGA HOGUE. SHE IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN'S VOTERS. WE ALSO HAD E DE LEON, WHO HAS KEPT UP WITH THE PULSE OF CIVIL ENGAGEMENT AND VOTING FOR A LITANY OF YEARS. I WAS HONORED TO HAVE ENVISIONED THIS WITH ROSALA AND LENO POLMAN, AND WE TOGETHER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO STOP, CONTEMPLATE THE STATE OF CIVIL ENGAGEMENT AND ENSURING THAT OUR VOICE IS OUR VOTE. ONCE AGAIN, ENJOY LATINA VOICES, SMART TALK, A SHOW ABOUT UNIVERSAL TOPICS FROM A LATINA PERSPECTIVE. LATINA VOICES, SMART TALK. WELCOME TO THE STATE OF HOUSTON, CIVIC ENGAGEMENT. INORDINATELY. EXCITED TODAY. MY VOTE. MY VOTE IS MY VOICE INORDINATELY. EXCITED TO DO THIS AS PART OF THE MAYOR'S HISPANIC ADVISORY BOARD. I AM DOING THIS AS CO-CHAIR, ALONG WITH ROSA, AS WELL AS WITH LENORA POLMAN. SHE'S ACTUALLY THE CO-CHAIR OF THE MAYOR'S HISPANIC ADVISORY BOARD. THE CONCEPT IS TO BRING VIRTUAL CONVERSATIONS. WE'VE DONE ONE ON STATE OF EDUCATION AND HOMAGE AND OUTREACH TO KRISTA NAVARRO. LAST TIME WE WERE HERE, WE DID STATE OF EDUCATION TOGETHER. WE'VE ALSO DONE THE STATE OF HEALTH MENTAL, AS WAS WELL AS PHYSICAL HEALTH. AND TODAY WE'RE HERE TO DISCUSS THE OUTCOME, DETERMINATIVE CONCEPT OF CIVIC ENGAGEMENT. WE ARE HERE WITH EXPERTS. WE'RE HERE WITH COMMUNITY LEADERS TO DISCUSS THIS TOPIC. WE WILL COMMENCE MOMENTARILY WITH NO ONE OTHER THAN THE MITA SYLVIA GARCIA AND ORDINATE, HONORED IN IN HER DE MINIMI RESPITE FROM WASHINGTON DC WELCOME, CONGRESSWOMAN. THANK YOU, ECSTATIC THAT YOU'RE HERE. I AM ALSO VERY PLEASED TO SEE HECTOR DE LEON AND SEASONED. HE COULD ACTUALLY, HE'S OUR PROFESSOR THIS EVENING. I'M CONFIDENT 30, 40 PLUS YEARS IN THE FIELD AND AN EXPERTISE IN THIS. WE ALSO HAVE THE LUXURY OF HAVING CLAUDIA ORTEGA HO. VERY EXCITED ABOUT HAVING YOU, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE WOMEN LEAGUE OF ORDER VOTERS. AND YOU WILL SHARE WITH US WHAT'S TRANSPIRING AND AN ANGELICA, ANGELA LASSO, VERY APPRECIATIVE OF YOU, MI FAMILIA, UM, MI FAMILIA BTA, SPECIFICALLY THE TEXAS DIRECTOR, A COUPLE OF INTROS. AND THE FIRST I HAVE TO GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE TO CONGRESSWOMAN. AS SHE POSTED 13 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK, JUSTICE SOTO MAOR, AND I THINK MOST OF US HAVE HAD THE LUXURY OF MEETING. THE FORCE OF NATURE WAS SWORN IN AS THE FIRST HISPANIC AND THIRD FEMALE JUSTICE ON THE US SUPREME COURT. AND TODAY, 29 YEARS AGO, THE BELOVED HONORABLE RUTH BADER GINSBURG WAS SWORN IN AS THE SECOND FEMALE ON THE US SUPREME COURT AND THE FIRST JEWISH WOMAN. THEY PAVED THE WAY FOR COUNTLESS WOMEN AND MINORITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY TODAY AS WE DISCUSS THE VOTE. VERY QUICKLY, A COUPLE OF STATISTICS AMONG THE SITUATION OF HISPANIC POPULATION. ACCORDING TO THE 2020 CENSUS, THE US POPULATION REACHED NORTH OF 62 MILLION IN 2020. WHAT'S FORMIDABLE? AN INCREASE OF 23% OVER THE PREVIOUS DECADE. AS WE WERE TALKING JUST BEFORE COMMENCING, IF YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBERS IN HARRIS COUNTY, CITY OF HOUSTON, THEY'RE BOTH NORTH OF 44%. THAT'S THE STATUS OF THE HISPANIC POPULATION. NOW FOCUSING ON VOTING. AND I WILL TURN IT TO EACH OF MY COLLEAGUES FOR OPENING THOUGHTS. TWO QUOTATIONS FROM JOHN LEWIS, REPRESENTATIVE JOHN LEWIS, WHICH I THOUGHT AND MANY HAVE SAID ARE SO POWERFUL. DEMOCRACY [00:05:01] IS NOT A STATE. IT IS AN ACT, AND THE VOTE IS THE MOST POWERFUL NONVIOLENT TOOL WE HAVE. WE KNOW THAT VOTING IS THE LANGUAGE OF THE AMERICAN DE DEMOCRACY. AND I THINK HERE THE GOAL IS TO DISCUSS TODAY HOW WE CAN UTILIZE THE VOTE AS WE PARTICIPATE IN CIVIC LIFE. TO HAVE A CHOICE AND TO HAVE A VOTE IN DETERMINING THE ELECTED OFFICIALS WHO DO IMPACT EVERYTHING. IT'S OUR LIVES, OUR FAMILIES, AND OUR COMMUNITIES. I WOULD LIKE TO TURN IT FIRST TO THE CONGRESSWOMAN SYLVIA GARCIA. AND BEFORE I ALLOW HER TO GIVE HER OPENING REMARKS AND, AND, AND INDULGE US WITH THEM, I HAVE TO RAVE ABOUT HER FOR A MINUTE. WE HAVE HAD THE LUXURY OF KNOWING HER IN THE COMMUNITY AS ONE, AS ONE WITH US FOR AN INORDINATE NUMBER OF YEARS. SHE WAS ELECTED TO THE US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES IN 2018, BECOMING THE FIRST LATINA EVER TO REPRESENT THE 29TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT. SHE WAS REALLY ONE OF THE VERY FEW HISPANIC CONES IN THE STATE, BUT HER TRAJECTORY HAS BEEN INORDINATELY SUCCESSFUL, AND FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIMES, DECADES, PRESIDING JUDGE OF THE, UH, HU UH, HOUSTON MUNICIPAL SYSTEM. SHE WAS OUR CITY COMPTROLLER. SHE WAS TEXAS SENATOR. SHE WAS THEN, OF COURSE, UH, NOW . WE ALL KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HER STORY. PERHAPS THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF THE VOTING THAT YOU CAN SHARE WITH US, THE IMPETUS FROM, AS A NATIVE OF PATO LANCO AS THE EIGHTH OF 10 CHILDREN. AND PERHAPS YOU ARE TAUGHT ABOUT EDUCATION, BUT PERHAPS ALSO TO, TO ELEVATING YOUR VOICE. WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, INORDINATELY HONORED. SO CONGRESSWOMAN, YOUR OPENING THOUGHTS ON VOTING AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY. WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR THE INVITATION AND THANK YOU TO THE HISPANIC ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR REALLY FOCUSING ON THIS ISSUE BECAUSE IT'S SO IMPORTANT. UH, NOT ONLY FOR FOR FOR LATINOS IN OUR, IN OUR COUNTY, BUT BUT FOR LATINOS, YOU KNOW, NATIONALLY. MM-HMM . UH, YOU KNOW, AS YOU SAID EARLIER, WE ARE, WE ARE BECOMING THE POPULATION THAT GROWS MORE EVERY SINGLE CENSUS. UH, WE WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR, YOU KNOW, ALMOST 60% OF THE GROWTH THIS LAST CENSUS. YOU KNOW, WE JUST CONTINUE TO GROW, BUT WE DO IN POPULATION, BUT NOT IN VOTER STRENGTH. AND UNTIL WE DO THAT, WE WILL REALLY NOT GET THE PLACE AND THE POWER AND THE POSITION THAT WE RIGHTFULLY SHOULD BE. AND IT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT MAKES SUCH A DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE'S LIVES. I STILL REMEMBER, UM, GETTING INVOLVED, UH, BECAUSE MY FATHER COULD NOT SPEAK ENGLISH. HE COULD NOT READ OR WRITE ENGLISH. HE WAS ESSENTIALLY ILLITERATE EXCEPT FOR SPEAKING SPANISH. SO WHEN PEOPLE WOULD COME TO THE FARM, UH, TO TALK TO HIM ABOUT CAMPAIGNS AND WITH LITERATURE, GUESS WHO THE INTERPRETER WAS? I WAS GUESS WHO THE ONE WHO, THE ONE WHO WOULD REVIEW THINGS AND SAY, DADDY, THIS SOUNDS GOOD. THIS SOUNDS, YOU KNOW. 'CAUSE I WOULD TALK TO HIM ABOUT IT, AND HE WOULD EVEN TAKE ME WITH HIM WHEN HE WOULD GO VOTE. AND IT WAS THE, THE OLD DAYS WHERE YOU WALKED INTO A KIND OF A AREA AND THEN YOU, YOU VOTED. AND, YOU KNOW, HE COULDN'T EVEN SIGN HIS NAME. HE SIGNED WITH AN X. YOU KNOW, HE INSTILLED IN ME THE IMPORTANCE OF VOTING BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH HE WAS FAR OUT IN THE RURAL AREAS, HE KNEW HIS VOTE COUNTED, HIS VOTE COUNTED. AND IT COUNTED NOT ONLY FOR OUR AREA, BUT BUT, BUT WORLD, BUT WORLDWIDE, REALLY. UH, SO I STILL REMEMBER, UH, DOING THAT FOR HIM AND TRANSLATING A LOT. AND THAT'S HOW I REALLY GOT MORE INTERESTED IN POLITICS. SO THAT'S WHAT TO ME. NOW, I, I VISITED A GROUP OF SENIORS THIS MORNING, AND, UH, WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT A NUMBER OF THE ISSUES THAT MATTER TO THEM. AND EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM, IT MATTERS WHO'S IN OFFICE THAT WILL REALLY FULLY ADDRESS IT, WHETHER IT'S GUNS OR MEDICARE OR SOCIAL SECURITY. WHAT WE DO IN CONGRESS IMPACTS ALL THOSE ISSUES. UH, SO, SO VOTING MATTERS, BEING ENGAGED MATTERS, KNOWING WHAT'S GOING ON MATTERS. SO I, UH, I'M GLAD THAT WE'RE FOCUSING ON THIS. I WILL SAY ACTOR DE LEON, SENIOR ADVISOR FOR GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, HARRIS COUNTY CLERK'S OFFICE, INORDINATE THINGS I COULD SAY ABOUT YOU. EVERYTHING YOU'VE BEEN DOING FOR YEARS, WHETHER IT'S YOUR THINK TANK IN YOUR REPORT, WHETHER IT'S THE WORK THAT YOU DID IN AL WHERE REALLY IT'S JUST BEEN, AS I SAID, WE SHOULD CALL YOU . YOU [00:10:01] WILL GIVE US A DOCTORATE. I'M SURE THIS EVENING. THE CONGRESSWOMAN APPROPRIATELY REFERENCED THE FACT THAT OUR NUMBERS MATTER, BUT OUR VOTING NEEDS TO MATTER. THERE'S NO DOUBT THAT THERE'S ALSO NARRATIVES THAT ARE PROMULGATED AND REALLY PERPETUATED BY THE MEDIA AND PERHAPS OTHERS ABOUT THE LATINO ELECTORATE. THE QUESTION IS, WHAT'S ACCURATE? WHAT'S NOT? GIVE US THE REALITY, BUT GIVE US A DOSE OF OPTIMISM ABOUT OUR NUMBERS COUNTING, AND THEY NEED TO BE ELEVATED. BUT WHAT, WHAT IS THE STATUS? WELL, WHAT THE CONGRESSWOMAN SAID IS TRUE, UM, BUT, UM, UM, I BELIEVE BASED ON OUR, AND, UH, THE FOLKS HERE PROBABLY UNDERSTAND THIS, THE, THE ONES THAT DO VOTER ENGAGEMENT, THE, THE, TO, TO ENHANCE, UH, CIVIC ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVES, WE WOULD ALL BENEFIT FROM, UH, FAMILIARIZING OURSELVES WITH CENSUS DATA, UM, VOTING DATA THAT IS PERTINENT TO UNDERSTANDING WHAT IS ACTUALLY TAKING PLACE. BECAUSE THE WAY WE VIEW THE DATA OR READ THE DATA, UH, IMPACTS THE WAY WE UNDERSTAND WHAT IS ACTUALLY TAKING PLACE. AND WHAT IS USUALLY THE NARRATIVE THAT YOU, UM, MENTION IS THAT IT'S ALWAYS A NE NEGATIVE NARRATIVE THAT SOMEHOW WE ARE NOT LIVING UP TO, TO OUR, OUR NUMBERS. RIGHT? AND THE REALITY OF IT IS THAT WE ALWAYS LOOK AT THE WRONG DATA, FOR EXAMPLE, IN HARRIS COUNTY, WHERE 44% OF THE POPULATION, BUT THE NUMBER WE SHOULD BE PAYING A ATTENTION TO IS THAT THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY SAYS WE'RE ONLY 31% OF THE CITIZEN VOTING AGE POPULATION. WHICH MEANS THAT IF ALL MAJOR VOTING GROUPS THAT, THAT WERE, UH, WERE REGISTERED TO VOTE, ALL THE POPULATION THAT'S ELIGIBLE TO REGISTER TO VOTE WAS REGISTERED TO VOTE LATINOS WOULD ONLY BE 31% OF THE REGISTERED VOTERS. BUT FOR A LONG TIME, SINCE THE 1990S, LATE EIGHTIES AND NINETIES, THE NARRATIVE THAT IS PLAYED OUT VIA THE MEDIA IS THAT SOMEHOW WE'RE A, UH, POLITICAL ELECTORAL BEHEMOTH. THAT IS THE NARRATIVE THAT'S BEEN PER PERPETUATED, AND IT'S JUST NOT. SO, OKAY, SO IF WE ARE, ALRIGHT, SO WE UTILIZE THEN THE 30, THE THE OTHER PERCENTERS THAT YOU WANNA UTILIZE. HOW DO WE COMPARE? ARE WE DOING OKAY, BUT HAVE A WAY TO GO? HOW WOULD YOU, WELL, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE IT WHEN YOU ACTUALLY LOOK AT THE DATA? WHAT IT SAYS IS THAT, UH, WHEN YOU LOOK AT SPANISH SURNAME DATA, UH, RIGHT NOW, UH, HISPANICS, IT SUGGESTS THAT HISPANICS ARE 24% OF THE REGISTERED VOTER POPULATION IN HARRIS COUNTY. AND WHEN YOU DIVIDE 24 INTO 31, IT TELLS YOU THAT 71% OF ALL LATINOS THAT ARE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE ARE ACTUALLY REGISTERED TO VOTE. SO IT'S NOT AS BAD AS PEOPLE PORTRAY IT, IT'S JUST THAT THE 31 PER THE CITIZEN VOTING AGE POPULATION, UH, IS SMALLER THAN THE ACTUAL POPULATION. AND PEOPLE ALWAYS PAY ATTENTION TO THE OVERALL POPULATION. OKAY? SO WE'RE DOING BETTER THAN WE'RE BEING PORTRAYED, RIGHT? HOWEVER, THE CONGRESS, SHE'S RIGHT, THAT WE STILL HAVE TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE VOTING, WE VOTE WITH A VENGEANCE AND WITH, WITH, WITH INTEREST BECAUSE THE BUSINESS AT THE TABLE TO HAVE THE VOICE THAT WE DESERVE. I WOULD LIKE TO TURN IT TO YOU, CLAUDIA, FOR A MOMENT. COMMUNITY ADVOCATE, COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER. I, I LOVE THE SYNERGY. YOU WORKED IN NAO, YOU ALSO WORKED WITH THE CONGRESSWOMAN FOR THE CONGRESSWOMAN, AND NOW YOU ARE PRESIDENT ELECT AND VICE PRESIDENT OF STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS, UH, FOR THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF HOUSTON. GIVE US A SENSE OF WHAT IS THE LEAGUE CURRENTLY ENGAGED IN AND AN OVERVIEW OF THE GRAVITAS OF THE VOTE. PERHAPS WE START THERE. WE'LL CHANGE IT. WE'LL THEN GO TO ANGIE AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO THIS ROUND. ROBIN. WELL, GRACIA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE INVITATION. IT'S AN HONOR TO BE HERE. THANK YOU TO YOU SOPHIA ROSE. LENORA. I REALLY, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH THE MAYOR HISPANIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND YOU GUYS DO A TERRIFIC JOB. UH, I'M VERY HONORED HERE TO REPRESENT THE LEO WOMEN VOTERS OF HOUSTON. UH, AS YOU SAID, UH, I WILL BE THE FIRST LATINA PRESIDENT. YES, THAT WILL START ON JUNE 1ST, 2023. SO I'M, I'M EXCITED AND, AND A HUNDRED PLUS YEARS. SO OUR MISSION REALITY IS SIMPLE, RIGHT? THE TIME HAS COME, . SO WE'RE HOPING, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE HOPING TO DO IS TO CONTINUE TO EMPOWER VOTERS, RIGHT? TO DEFEND DEMOCRACY. AND HOW DO WE GET THAT DONE IS BY COLLABORATING WITH A LOT OF OUR NONPROFITS WITH A LOT OF THE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT GROUPS. BUT WE PRO WE PROVIDE LIKE NONPARTISAN VOTER INFORMATION THAT IS TRUSTED IN THE COMMUNITY, AND THAT PEOPLE AND VOTERS FEEL PROTECTED AT THE POLLS. SO THEY FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE THE RIGHT INFORMATION, THE RIGHT TOOLS, AND THEY'RE ABLE TO CAST A, YOU KNOW, A VOTE NO MATTER WHO YOU VOTE FOR. [00:15:21] THAT AS PART OF THE MAYOR'S HISPANIC ADVISORY. FOR US, IT IS NONPARTISAN. THE SITUATION IS SIMPLY, WE JUST WANT YOU TO HAVE THE OPPOR BE COGNIZANT OF THE RIGHT TO VOTE AND BE EDUCATED IN THE OPPORTUNITY. AND THAT'S WHAT THE LEAGUE IS DOING. AND WE'RE CONTINUE TO, YOU KNOW, COMING IN. MY HOPE IS THAT WE CONTINUE TO WORK WITH, UH, COMMUN BUILD COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS WITH COMMUNITIES OF COLOR BEING MORE INTENTIONAL OF STRENGTHENING, STRENGTHENING THOSE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE LATINO COMMUNITY. OBVIOUSLY BEING LATINA. FOR ME, THIS IS PERSONAL. UH, AND I THINK THAT WE ARE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, AND I THINK WE ARE EXCITED TO JUST CONTINUE TO PARTNERS. WE DO A LOT OF OUR WORK THROUGH THE NATURALIZATION CEREMONIES. WE REGISTER. I MEAN, WE WERE JUST THERE LAST MONTH AND WE REGISTER OVER 80% OF REGISTERED VOTERS OVER LIKE, NEARLY 1500 PEOPLE. 92% OUT OF ANOTHER 1500. SO WE ARE MOVING IN THAT DIRECTION. AND I DO WANNA SAY YOU OBVIOUSLY IN THIS NATURALIZATION CEREMONIES, WE HAVE OVER 114 COUNTRIES, OR DEPENDING OF THE OLD CEREMONY, BUT A LOT OF THE MAJORITY ARE LATINOS, RIGHT? WE ALSO HAVE OUR VOTER GUIDE THAT IT HAS NON-PARTISAN IN INFORMATION WHERE VOTERS CAN MAKE A INFOR AN INFORMED DECISION ON WHO THEY NEED TO VOTE. SO WE ARE VERY HAPPY TO WORK WITH ANY SIDE OF THE AISLE, JUST MAKING SURE THAT VOTERS HAVE THE RIGHT INFORMATION AND CAST A BALLOT, A SEAT AT THE TABLE, THE, THE BUSINESS OF DIVERSITY AND A SEAT AT THE TABLE. I REMEMBER WHEN I BECAME A US CITIZEN, INORDINATELY POWERFUL. AND REALLY THOSE SPEECHES AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE THERE. AND WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE DIVERSITY OF THE COUNTRY'S REPRESENTED, IT'S REALLY INDICATIVE OF HOUSTON. OF COURSE, I'M ALWAYS REMINDED, I I ABSOLUTELY ADORE PROFESSOR KLEINBERG FROM RICE AND ALL THE WORK HE DID AND HIS BOOK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, IT'S THE PROPHETIC CITY AT THE CUSP OF A CHANGING OF AMERICA. AND WE ARE HOUSTON AND WE ARE ABSOLUTELY WHAT THE UNITED STATES WILL BE 40, 40, UH, YEARS FROM NOW. IT'S, IT'S UNBELIEVABLE. TALK ABOUT RICE UNIVERSITY AND I'M TURNING IT OVER TO MY FELLOW OWL, ALTHOUGH, UH, DECADES GRADUATING AT LEAST 20 PLUS, UH, TWO PLUS DECADES LATER, IF NOT MORE, BUT INORDINATE TO HAVE, UH, INUNDATE. HAPPY TO HAVE YOU. YOU HAVE BEEN A FORCE FAMILIA VOLTA. YOU'VE NOW BEEN THERE FOUR OR FIVE YEARS DOING INORDINATE THINGS. AND NOW THE TEXAS DIRECTOR, IT IS A NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOOTPRINT IN MANY PLACES. TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MI FTA AND IF YOU COULD START WITH YOUR OPENING REMARKS AND THOUGHTS ABOUT VOTING, AND THEN WE'LL CONTINUE THIS AMAZING ROUND ROBIN. ABSOLUTELY THRILLED TO BE HERE WITH EXPERTS AND FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES. UH, I MI FTA, WE A NATIONAL NON-PARTISAN ORGANIZATION FOCUSING ON BUILDING POLITICAL REPRESENTATION AND POWER IN THE LATINO COMMUNITY AND THE IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY. AND I WANNA TAKE A MOMENT AND PAUSE. WHEN WE'RE, WHEN WE SAY THAT WE'RE ENGAGING LATINOS, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FOLKS THAT ARE RECENTLY NATURALIZED CITIZENS. MM-HMM . WE'RE TALKING ABOUT YOUNG PEOPLE. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OLDER PEOPLE. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE THAT ARE MONOLINGUAL SPANISH SPEAKERS, MONOLINGUAL ENGLISH SPEAKERS, BILINGUAL LIKE MYSELF. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FOLKS THAT GREW UP IN IMMIGRANT HOUSEHOLDS. I GREW UP IN A NON-VOTING HOUSEHOLD. I HAD NO IDEA WHAT VOTING COULD ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE ONCE I ACTUALLY STARTED TO DO THAT. AND SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ENGAGING THE LATINO COMMUNITY, WHAT ARE THE LAYERS THAT EXIST WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY? WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS? EDUCATION, INCOME, LANGUAGE, LITERACY. 'CAUSE WE NEED TO TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION. PEOPLE LOVE TO TALK ABOUT US WITHOUT IT EVER GETTING TO KNOW US. SO I LOVE THE STORY YOU SHARED ABOUT YOUR FATHER. THAT IS THE EFFORT THAT'S GOING TO TAKE TO TURN OUT THE 31% THAT HECTOR WAS TALKING ABOUT, BEING ON THE GROUND, TALKING TO PEOPLE, GIVING THEM THE INDIVIDUALIZED ASSISTANCE. WE HELP HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE EVERY SINGLE YEAR, AND THEY HAVE QUESTIONS LIKE, HOW DO I GET MY SAMPLE BALLOT? I WANT TO VOTE, BUT I ALSO WANT TO BE PREPARED. AM I REGISTERED TO VOTE? THOSE SIMPLE QUESTIONS THAT SEEM VERY SIMPLE TO US ARE ACTUALLY BARRIERS TO OTHER PE PEOPLE. AND SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE AS AN ORGANIZATION AND OUR PARTNERS, WE'RE HELPING PEOPLE, WE'RE HELPING THEM FIND THEIR PLACE IN THIS. THE FIRST TIME I VOTED, I FELT ALONE AND SCARED. AND QUITE FRANKLY, DON'T JUST LIKE YOUR FIRST COMMUNITY, IF YOU HAVEN'T LIVED IN ANOTHER COUNTRY WHERE MAYBE IT'S BEEN QUESTIONED YOU, YOU TAKE THAT FOR GRANTED. BUT THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY WHERE IT DOES COUNT. YEAH. [00:20:01] SO CONVERSATIONS MATTER. TALKING TO VOTERS ON THE GROUND MATTER. WE'LL BE TALKING TO FOLKS IN THE FIELD IN PREDOMINANTLY LATINO NEIGHBORHOODS AND NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY LATINO. BUT SOMETIMES PEOPLE, UH, FORGET TO LOOK AT THE DATA AND FORGET TO NOTE THAT OUR PEOPLE ARE THERE TALKING TO FOLKS IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH AND MEDIA, UM, AND, AND SOURCES LIKE THIS, BECAUSE WE KNOW THESE ELECTIONS ARE REALLY IMPORTANT. WE KNOW THERE'S A LOT AT STAKE FOR THAT IN THE COMMUNITY. WE ALSO KNOW THAT OUR COMMUNITY IS HUNGRY. I LIKE THE FACT THAT YOU'RE SAYING OUR COMMUNITY IS HUNGRY BECAUSE THAT'S PART OF THE GRAVITAS AND THE AUTHENTICITY AND THE STRENGTH WE BRING TO THE TABLE. WE WANT TO BE INFORMED AS WE MAKE DECISIONS. CONGRESSWOMAN, THANK YOU FOR THOSE OPENING REMARKS. AND THEN WHEN I JUST BE COGNIZANT, I'M GOING TO ASK YOU SPECIFICALLY, GIVEN YOU DEFINITELY ARE THE LEAST SEASONED AMONG US, , UH, FOR, FOR NOT BETTER OTHER NOMENCLATURE. WHAT I'M, I'LL BE CURIOUS, WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MAKE SURE MY 20 SOMETHING YEAR OLD WANTS TO GO VOTE RICE OWL AS A VERY, AS OF A WEEK AGO? SO THERE WE GO. CONGRESSWOMAN, BEFORE I ASK YOU A SPECIFIC QUESTION, I NEED TO ENSURE THAT EVERYONE IS, IS AWARE OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING. YOU'RE IN THE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE, YOU'RE IN THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE, THE FINANCIAL SERVICES COMMITTEE. YOU ARE A NUMBER OF TASK FORCES AND CAUCUSES, UNCLEAR HOW YOU SLEEP. YOU'VE GOT, AMONG THEM A CONGRESSIONAL HISPANIC CAUCUS. I WAS INCREDIBLY PROUD, KNOWING YOU. NOT SURPRISED THAT THE VICE CHAIR FOR THE MAJORITY LEADERS TASK FORCE ON POVERTY AND OPPORTUNITY AS WELL AS THE WOMEN'S CAUCUS. AND THIS IS ACTUALLY A DI DIMINISH, UH, VERSION OF A VERY LENGTHY LIST. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT SERVICE. IF YOU DON'T MIND, IN 2021, WE'RE AWARE OF SEVERAL STATE LEGISLATURES COMMENCED THIS PRIORITIZED OF THIS ELECTION INTEGRITY CONGRESS THEN RESULTED IN THAT THERE WAS, THERE, THERE WAS A CALL TO ACTION, AND THEN YOU HAD THE FREEDOM TO VOTE ACT, THE FOR THE PEOPLE ACT, AND THEN THE JOHN LEWIS, UH, VOTING RECS ADVANCEMENT. AND I GUESS THE FREEDOM TO VOTE ACT IS A VERSION OF THE, FOR THE PEOPLE ACT. JUST IF NOTHING ELSE, IF YOU CAN GIVE US A SMALL LESSON OF WHAT WAS TAKING PLACE IN WASHINGTON DC AND THEN PERHAPS YOU BRING IT BACK TO, TO HOUSTON IN TERMS OF WHAT RESULTED OR WHAT LESSONS LEARNED FROM THOSE OPPORTUNITIES. WELL, WHAT WE WERE DOING IN WASHINGTON WAS TRYING TO FIND A WAY TO ENSURE THAT THE FEDERAL RIGHT TO VOTE, YOU KNOW, THAT COMES FROM THE CONSTITUTION. YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE WAS PROTECTED. AND WE SAW A LOT OF STATES, UH, DOING A LOT OF THINGS, INCLUDING, ESPECIALLY HERE IN TEXAS WITH THE BILL THAT THEY PASSED THAT REALLY WAS NOT ABOUT ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO VOTE, BUT IN FACT WAS ADDING MORE BARRIERS AND ADDING MORE RESTRICTIONS AND ADDING MORE AND MORE WAYS TO KEEP PEOPLE FROM VOTING. AND FOR US, IT'S ABOUT PROTECTING YOUR FEDERAL RIGHTS TO VOTE. SO THE FOR THE PEOPLE ACT, WHICH DID PASS THE HOUSE, UH, DID A NUMBER OF THINGS, AND IT, YOU KNOW, IT, IT, IT SAFEGUARDED AND, AND, AND EXTENDED THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT, WHICH WOULD INCLUDE TEXAS, WOULD INCLUDE WHAT WE CALL PRE-CLEARANCE, WHICH SIMPLY MEANS THAT BEFORE A STATE CAN CHANGE A LAW, IT'S GOTTA BE CLEARED BY THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT THAT THERE'S NO DISCRIMINATORY EFFECT. YOU KNOW, SADLY, UH, TEXAS HAS GOT THE WORST RECORD, UH, OF ANY STATE OF THE COUNTRY, OF THE MORE TIMES THAT, THAT THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HAS SAID, NO, YOU'RE DISCRIMINATING WITH INTENT. I MEAN, IT'S HAPPENED IN FEDERAL DISTRICT COURTS. I FORGET THE COUNT NOW. UM, MY FRIEND, UH, UH, REPRESENTATIVE CIA IN DALLAS KEEPS TRACK. IT'S EITHER SEVEN OR EIGHT, AND YOU MIGHT KNOW HECTOR, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE'S SO MANY THINGS THAT HAPPENED, IT WOULD WOULD'VE MADE, UH, ELECTION DAY A HOLIDAY, WHICH IS TRUE IN SO MANY COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD. ABSOLUTELY. YOU KNOW, THAT PEOPLE WANT TO INSTILL, UH, THE HABIT OF VOTING THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S A DAY OFF. EVERYBODY'S ENCOURAGED TO GO OUT AND VOTE. I MEAN, THE BALKED AT THAT. AND YOU'VE SEEN SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THEY DID DO HERE IN TEXAS THAT, THAT REALLY DON'T ENCOURAGE VOTERS. SO, BUT REGRETTABLY, YOU KNOW, IT GOES TO THE SENATE AND IT JUST DOESN'T MOVE. BUT WE NEED THOSE CHANGES BECAUSE IT'S, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT THE STATES HAVE A RIGHT IN THE PREROGATIVE TO, TO HANDLE THE, THE IMPLEMENTATION IN, IN THE TRANSACTION OF THE VOTING ITSELF. BUT PROTECTING THE RIGHT TO VOTE IS A FEDERAL ISSUE. THAT IS A FREEDOM THAT WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE. SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO FIGHT THAT. AND AS, UH, JOHN LEWIS SAID, YOU KNOW, AS LONG AS YOU STIR IT UP AND IT'S GOOD TROUBLE, THEN IT'S GOOD. I WANT TO, BEFORE I TURN IT TO THE CONGRESSWOMAN, ONCE AGAIN, THANK THE MAYOR'S HISPANIC ADVISORY BOARD WITH THE STUDIO, WE HAVE OUR [00:25:01] FEARLESS LEADER, POLMAN, MY CO-CHAIR, ROSALA INORDINATELY, HONORED TO HAVE SHARED THIS TABLE WITH YOU. CONGRESSWOMAN, YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE IT AWAY FROM FINAL THOUGHTS AS WE CONTEMPLATE MY VOTE IS MY VOICE IN . WELL, WHAT I, I THINK WE, WE NEED TO JUST FOCUS ON BEING INVOLVED AND BEING ENGAGED AND, AND WHETHER THAT MEANS THAT YOU'RE GONNA GET INVOLVED BECAUSE YOU'RE, WHEN YOU GO BACK TO SCHOOL WITH YOUR KIDS, YOU FIND OUT THAT THE CAFETERIA IS SERVING SOMETHING THAT YOUR CHILD JUST CAN'T EAT. UH, AND YOU NEED TO GO TO THE SCHOOL AND, AND, AND VISIT WITH SOMEONE AND, YOU KNOW, GET INVOLVED TO MAKE THAT CHANGE. BUT YOU MAY FIND THAT ONCE YOU GET INVOLVED IN DOING THAT, YOU'LL BE MORE INVOLVED IN OTHER THINGS AT THE SCHOOL. IT MAY BE YOUR CIVIC CLUB THAT YOU'RE INVOLVED IN, MAKING SURE THAT A ROAD GETS FIXED. IT COULD BE AT YOUR CHURCH TO BE INVOLVED, TO MAKE SURE THAT THE LIGHTING IS CORRECT OR THE SOUND SYSTEM WORKS. THERE'S DIFFERENT LEVELS OF BEING INVOLVED. BUT WHAT MATTERS IS THAT YOU FOLLOW YOUR PASSION. UH, AND FOR, FOR US, OUR PASSION IS MAKING CHANGE IN A BIG WAY. AND THE WAY TO DO THAT IS THROUGH POLITICS. 'CAUSE WE BELIEVE IN PUTTING PEOPLE OVER POLITICS, MAKING SURE THAT EVERYTHING WE DO IS ABOUT HELPING PEOPLE AND MAKING A DIFFERENCE. SO YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN, IN YOUR HOME, IN YOUR SCHOOL, IN YOUR CHURCH, IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, IN VERY MUCH THE SAME WAY. AND WE WOULD STRONGLY HAVE YOU CONSIDER REGISTERING TO VOTE, UH, AND GETTING INVOLVED IN A BIG WAY BECAUSE WHO IS IN OFFICE DOES IMPACT YOUR LIFE AND YOUR CHILD'S LIFE EVERY SINGLE DAY. WE'RE GONNA END WITH THE, THE QUOTE I BEGAN WITH DEMOCRACY'S NOT A STATE. IT IS AN ACT, AND THE VOTE IS THE MOST POWERFUL NONVIOLENT TOOL WE HAVE. SO, GO OUT THERE. WE WANNA THANK YOU FOR WATCHING LATINA VOICES WHERE WE SEEK TO ENGAGE, EDUCATE AND INSPIRE. JOIN US NEXT TIME FOR MORE SMART TALK. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.