ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – The nonprofit, Hablamos Español Florida, which translates to “We Speak Spanish Florida,” partnered with six religious organizations across Central Florida to spread awareness of the importance of voting ahead of the primary elections August 23. Among the churches involved is Christ International in Apopka.
“I never got questions from my congregation until I became engaged in the conversation about politics. Now, I have regular conversations about it,” Bishop David Maldonado said. “Just yesterday, I had one of our parishioners reached to me and said, ‘What do I do?’ I just transferred here to Florida from another state. I just found out I can’t vote in the primaries.”
[TRENDING: Homebuyers backing out of contracts as interest rates rise | Video shows man’s shootout with law enforcement, bloody aftermath in Mount Dora | Become a News 6 Insider (it’s free!)]
With Florida’s primary elections coming up in August, the non-partisan coalition has had boots on the ground registering more Hispanic residents to vote.
“The way to get involved is by voting. We go to churches, shopping malls, supermarkets, OK, even knocking on doors,” Frank Rivera, one of the founders of Hablamos Español Florida, said. “We try to inform them that it’s not only every four years or every six years but every two years.”
Bishop Maldonado told News 6 that churches don’t typically get involved in politics, but he does so for the good of his congregation.
“We have been very clear that we are not telling people who to choose and who to vote for, but we are not reluctant to be involved in the process. This is a part of civic engagement. It is part of spiritual responsibility to stand up for our community, and so, I want to help turn the tide on that on our religious communities,” Maldonado said.
The latest numbers from the Supervisor of Elections for Osceola County shows more than 120,000 Hispanic residents have registered to vote, Orange County reported more than 219,000 Hispanic residents registered to vote, Seminole County has more than 52,000 Hispanic residents registered voters, and Volusia reported over 41,000 identified Hispanic residents registered to vote.
Voters have until July 25 to register to vote for the primary elections.
You can listen to every episode of Florida’s Fourth Estate in the media player below: