This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Interview highlights
Meza Miranda: Recent studies from the Pew Research Center show that 81% of US Hispanics think that climate change is a top concern. Why is this, and how has climate change impacted Latino communities directly?
Rayes: So, you know, even in Colorado, Mi Familia Vota and Unidos just did a poll showing that climate is one of the top five issues for people in Colorado. And so, it's something that resonates clearly and completely with our community because obviously its basic necessities such as clean water and clean air are things that really impact us day in and day out. And so obviously, the world as we know it. So, we want to make sure that we're preserving the environment for future generations to come.
Meza Miranda: Nathalie, tell me about the “Vote Like a Madre” movement — what is it and why was it started?
Rayes: So, we're so excited to relaunch “Vote Like a Madre.” We did it in 2020, and we're doing it again in 2022. And we're focused this time in Arizona, Colorado and Nevada. And we know that Latinas are the CEOs of every household. So, when a Latina comes out and votes, not only is she voting, but la abuela, la tia, la hermana — they're all coming out.
So, a community comes out and votes. We are telling Latinas to come out and vote and to demand that their candidates have a bold plan to combat climate change. And we know in Colorado that there's a million Latinos living in Colorado, 21% of your population there, and 70% of Latinos voters came out to vote in 2020 in Colorado, compared to 50% nationally. So, it's an active constituency in Colorado. Latinos are voting in Colorado at 20% more than the national average. We want to make sure that every Latino in Colorado comes out to vote in this election.
Meza Miranda: The Latino Victory Project has worked to increase female voters since it was founded in 2014. Over that time, the overall number of Latino voters across the US significantly increased. How do you think they’ll shape this year’s midterm elections?
Rayes: I think that anybody that wants to win an election has to go through the Latino vote and has to persuade Latinos to come out and vote for them. So, there are 31 million Latinas living in the United States. This means that this is a significant, powerful electorate. And so, all roads to being elected run through the veins of Latino communities throughout the country.
I don't want to say that there's one state more than the other, even a state like Wisconsin or Pennsylvania. And so, we really have to be talking to Latino voters day in and day out and meeting them where they're at and ensuring that we are working to gain their votes and mobilizing them to come out and vote.
Meza Miranda: What’s next for the organization after the elections are over?
Rayes: The elections are now around the corner — and so we want every Latina to make a pinky promise to their children or their community to say, we're going to come out and vote and we're coming out to vote and ensuring that we have candidates that are going to be elected to ensure that they have a bold plan for combating climate change. We'll continue with this amazing initiative. I think this is an initiative that should be year-round.
It's something that we've got to make sure that we're engaging Latina mothers throughout the cycle. We have amazing supporters. So, we have our celebrity ambassadors, Eva Longoria and Lin-Manuel Miranda and his mom, Rosario Dawson, Angelica Maria, and Angelica Vale. So, people that really believe in this important initiative, and some of them are not really politically active per se, but they said we're going to give our name and we’re going to use our platform to ensure that we are mobilizing Latinas to come out and vote because this is so critically important and so I encourage everybody to go to our website and visit our website for more information at Votelikeamadre.com