Latino voters are likely to be scarce at Athens-area polling places. Although slightly more than 10 percent of local residents described themselves as Hispanic in the 2010 Census, only 2.5 percent of people who registered to vote by Oct. 1 fit that description.
The view from inside and outside Athens-area Latino communities is that members live largely in neighborhoods isolated from people of other ethnicities, and they are detached or excluded from the local political scene. Â Â
“I would say that most of the conversations that we get on politics are on the national level, but not necessarily local,†aid Alex Borges, executive director of Casa de Amistad, a non-profit organization that promotes the well-being of Hispanic people in Athens.
Borges believes that alienation from local politics arises partly from the practice of characterizing voters by ethnicity. “Latino issues are really American issues. I mean, they’re issues for the whole country,†he says. “The Census shows that our population is growing, and they’re saying that in 10 years it’s going to double.  So, really what happens with the Latino community is going to be very important for this country, so that’s why it’s really important for Latinos to go out there and vote.â€
In fact, Georgia’s Latino population has already nearly doubled between 2000 and 2010. But less than 1 percent of early voters—15,566 people—have been Latino this year, according to Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s office. Georgia’s Republican party is making a concerted effort to engage Latino communities across the state, according to David Mullens, who serves on the boards of the Athens GOP and the Athens Latino Center for Education and Services.
“Here in Athens,†Mullens says, “Matt Brewster has started really the first effort of its kind for the Republican party in terms of going out and reaching out to Latino voters and Latino communities.†Brewster is chairman of the Athens-Clarke County Republican Party.
The Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials spearheaded the most aggressive and effective “get out the vote†campaign for the state’s Latino communities.  The organization created GeorgiaLatinoVote.com and GeorgiaVota.com so people can learn more about registering and voting in both English and Spanish. In addition, they have a toll-free, bilingual hotline. (1-888-544-2536/1-888-54GALEO).
In Athens, GALEO organized a group of UGA students who registered more than 100 new voters in the Athens area. The students followed up with these newly registered voters as Election Day approached, pushing for turnout. Â
The path to the voting booth can be rocky, however, according to Jerry Gonzalez, the executive director of GALEO. He remembers tense moments during early voting on Oct. 28.
“I was on the phone with an entire family who was all challenged,†Gonzalez says. “They were very upset that as new citizens, they had all of these obstacles [to voting].â€
Gonzalez says the experience strengthened this family’s resolve. “They were more determined than ever to clear up the questions and go vote. They were determined that these obstacles would not silence their voice. The expression in Spanish is ‘Su voto es su voz, your vote is your voice!'”
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