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November 5, 2009
Idaho Latino Vote Project to announce support of Permanent Absentee Ballot Initiative at annual dinner Friday, Nov. 6
NAMPA – The Idaho Latino Vote Project will announce its support for permanent absentee balloting in Idaho Friday at its annual fundraising dinner held by the Hispanic Council and the Center for Community and Justice.
“Idaho Latino Vote has been actively informing and educating Latino voters since 2002 about the ways to vote in Idaho,” said Maria Mabbutt, Idaho Latino Vote Executive Director. “Absentee balloting has been an important tool in getting out our vote. Permanent absentee balloting will make it even easier for everyone, including the Latino community, to vote.”
The annual dinner held by the Hispanic Council and the Center for Community and Justice raises funds to support the efforts of the Idaho Latino Vote Project to increase Latino voter participation in Idaho.
The dinner is at the Hispanic Cultural Center, Nampa. Social hour and a silent auction start at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 7 p.m. The keynote speaker is Magdaleno (Leno) Rose-Avila, Executive Director, Social Justice Fund-Northwest. There will also be a talent show featuring both musical and dancing entries.
“We welcome the support of the Idaho Latino Vote Project,” said Larry Grant, Chairman of Idaho Vote by Mail, Inc., the sponsor of the permanent absentee balloting initiative. “They have been working hard for years to expand ballot access in Idaho. We deeply appreciate their help in reaching out to the Latino community.”
The initiative, formally designated The Idaho State Permanent Absentee Ballot Law Initiative, will allow Idaho voters to place their name on a list with their county clerk to automatically receive an absentee ballot for each election instead of having to ask for an absentee ballot every time.
Guest speaker Rose-Avila was born to immigrant parents in Las Animas, CO, and began as a farm worker at age 11. A graduate of the University of Colorado, he has been involved in the civil and human rights movements for all of his adult life. He is author of two books, Los Cuatro and Looking for my Wings.
Tickets for the dinner are $15 per person, $25 per couple, and $10 for students. Ticket information is available from the Hispanic Caucus, 442-7746, and Centro de Comunidad y Justicia, 378-1368.
Idaho Latino Vote Project is a project of the Idaho Hispanic Caucus Institute for Research and Education, a nonpartisan, non-profit Idaho corporation whose mission is to promote the social welfare of the Latino community through research and education of social justice issues that affect the social well-being of Idaho’s Latinos.
The Center for Community and Justice is a nonpartisan, nonprofit Idaho corporation whose mission is to organize community based efforts to improve the education, economic and social status of Latinos in Idaho.
Idaho Vote By Mail, Inc. is a nonpartisan, non-profit Idaho corporation dedicated to making voting easier for Idaho voters. More about the initiative and a copy of the petition can be found at www.idahovotebymail.org.
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Contact: Maria Mabbutt Don Rosebrock
Idaho Latino Vote Project Idaho Vote by Mail, Inc.
(208) 230-2416 (208) 602-6524 |
