Spanish-Language Media Launch Drive to Get Hispanics to the Polls

Days before the midterm elections, Spanish-language media have unveiled a get-out-the-vote blitz to energize Hispanic voters, whose turnout could be decisive in many races. In a campaign called "Tu Voto, Tu Futuro" (Your Vote, Your Future), newscasts on Telemundo, the second-largest Spanish-language network, this week have devoted segments to such questions as how to vote and the importance of voting. Telemundo's website and social media are also participating.

Meanwhile, Univision, the largest Spanish-language network, has teamed up with the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, a non-partisan group, and ImpreMedia LLC, the largest Spanish-language publisher in the U.S., in another campaign that began airing this week.

Despite the swelling importance of Latino voters, Spanish-language media haven't normally garnered the attention of political candidates because they are perceived as having the eyeballs of illegal immigrants or of non-English speakers alienated from the political process. That perception appears to be changing. This season, Univision hosted a debate with gubernatorial candidates in California and Florida, as well as Senate hopefuls in Florida. The chairmen of both the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee appeared on Al Punto, a Sunday morning talk show on the network.