We’re celebrating the power of the Latino, immigrant and minority vote!

OneAmerica Votes and the immigrant community is looking forward to working closely with Governor Inslee’s office, given his attention to immigrants during the campaign and his impressive record. Inslee supported the DREAM Act as a Congressman, was one of the first candidates to publicly support the Washington Voting Rights Act this past legislative session, and took a pragmatic and principled stand in support of driver’s licenses for all immigrants.

The margin of victory in the Governor’s race was 2%. Given that the combination of Latino (5%) and API (7.7%) voters in our state is 12.7% of the electorate and that, nationally, they overwhelmingly supported Obama (Latino, 75%; API, 72%), it is easy to see how this level of support in Washington would make up the difference in this race. Nationally, Latino voters also supported same-sex marriage at a higher rate (59%) than general voters (48%).

“The strength of the Latino, Asian, and immigrant vote helped Inslee and Referendum 74 and others to victory. Conventional wisdom believes that Latino and API voters tend to be more socially conservative, but most exit polls show otherwise. These voters support the freedom to marry who you love, because many also understand what it means to experience discrimination. R74 passed, in part, because organizations like OneAmerica Votes made the effort to reach out to these voters and engage them on their own terms and in their own languages.”  - OneAmerica Votes Chief Executive Officer, Rich Stolz.

OneAmerica Votes successfully implemented a vast, targeted outreach plan for the elections that informed tens of thousands of registered immigrant voters about the candidates and ballot initiatives and how they would impact their families and communities. The statewide plan featured phone banks, canvassing, and a direct mail program, including outreach in multiple languages: English, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese, Somali, Vietnamese, Hindi and Punjabi.

“It’s difficult to see Republicans re-taking the White House or winning statewide in Washington until they recognize a changing America and start leading on issues that are important to immigrant families, starting with comprehensive immigration reform,” added Stolz.

Already, members of Washington’s Congressional delegation—including Senator Patty Murray and Rep. Adam Smith—have started issuing statements in support of reform. Meanwhile, in the 1st Congressional District, John Koster lost to Suzan DelBene, who was endorsed by OneAmerica Votes.

Working with Win-Win and their People of Color Vote coalition, we’re highlighting the progressive slate of initiative endorsements from key organizations:

• Approve Referendum 74 - Give same-sex couples the freedom to marry.
• No on I-1240 - Reject charter schools, which take money away from our public schools.
• No on I-1185 - Reject the latest initiative that ties the legislature’s hands, resulting in drastic cuts to numerous essential programs and services.

We didn’t take a position on I-502, but visit Yes on I-502 for more information.

Download our 2012 Ballot Initiative Guide in 7 languages (all in pdf format):

• English
• Spanish
• Vietnamese
• Korean
• Chinese
• Punjabi
• Hindi

We are going to several cities to inform and educate immigrant voters on ballot initiatives and candidates who will make a positive difference in their lives. OneAmerica Votes has evaluated the impact of initiatives on immigrants’ lives and interviewed candidates to determine who would best represent these communities. OneAmerica Votes is everywhere immigrants are- from Yakima to Seattle, and every city in between.

From in-language phone banks to endorsements, OneAmerica Votes encourages immigrants to vote and empowers their voice in the democratic process. We are on our way to creating opportunity and granting justice for all.

Join OneAmerica Votes as we build power in immigrant communities in a 2012 get-out-the-vote effort!

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After John Koster, a candidate for Congress in the 1st Congressional District, made degrading comments about immigrants in a speech on September 24 at the Skagit Business Alliance candidate’s forum, OneAmerica Votes members wrote a letter to his campaign demanding an apology. Read the letter here. (En Español)

The most important election cycle in 20 years begins today.

Across the state, ballots are arriving in mailboxes. You and other Washingtonians will vote to elect the next President, Washington State U.S. Senator, Governor, countless statewide offices and more than half of the legislature.

Candidates and pundits across the country are starting to realize what we already knew—the immigrant vote is powerful. Because of the election’s importance in determining the future direction of our state, OneAmerica Votes is planning to communicate with 39,502 immigrant voters statewide, through phonebanks, door-to-door canvassing, and direct mail, with a focus on strategic state legislative districts. With that in mind, OneAmerica Votes is pleased to announce its initial list of endorsements for the 2012 election cycle.

First and foremost, we are excited to announce our endorsement of Jay Inslee for Governor. On issues of importance to immigrant communities, Jay has an incredibly strong record, and, most importantly, impressed the more than 20 OneAmerica Votes members from across Washington who participated in his candidate interview.

Jay’s record on issues of importance to immigrants is impressive, having supported the DREAM Act as a Congressman, becoming one of the first candidates to publicly support the Washington State Voting Rights Act this past legislative session, and, most recently, with his principled stand in support of driver’s licenses for all immigrants.

We are also incredibly pleased to endorse Justice Steven Gonzalez for Washington State Supreme Court, Position 8. Justice Gonzalez has been endorsed by nearly every organization and editorial board in the state because of his clear leadership, excellent qualifications and commitment to the community. Because of quirks in election law, his race will be decided in the primary, so it is critical that you cast your vote for Justice Gonzalez now, in the primary.

In addition to these endorsements in statewide races, we are pleased to announce the following state legislative endorsements, with more to follow:

Luis Moscoso, State Representative, Legislative District 1
Mark Mullet, State Senate, Legislative District 5
Bob Hasegawa, State Senate, Legislative District 11
Bobby Virk, State Representative, Legislative District 11
Zack Hudgins, State Representative, Legislative District 11
Jeannie Darneille, State Senate, Legislative District 27
Cindy Ryu, State Representative, Legislative District 32
Sahar Fathi, State Representative, Legislative District 36
Bud Sizemore, State Representative, Legislation District 47
Pat Sullivan, State Representative, Legislative District 47
Cyrus Habib, State Representative, Legislative District 48
Ross Hunter, State Representative, Legislative District 48

Donate to support OneAmerica Votes’ efforts to mobilize immigrant voters in the upcoming election. $50 is enough for seven hours of phone banking,  $100 will fund a volunteer-led canvass using OneAmerica Votes’ movement-building organizing model.

As a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt organization, donations to OneAmerica Votes are NOT tax-deductible.

For a complete list of updated endorsements, visit our Endorsements page. And keep up with us by following us on Twitter @OneAmericaVotes and on Facebook.

In some key city, county, and state races, OneAmerica Votes interviewed candidates, asking them tough questions about their priorities and how they would represent immigrants during their time in office and made some endorsements. We also studied the initiatives and made recommendations.

OneAmerica Votes was encouraged by the results of two initiatives: first, the overwhelming support for Initiative 1163 which requires basic certification and training requirements for long-term care workers and, second, the defeat of Initiative 1125 which would have had have a terrible impact on public transit around the state. We’re also thrilled that Seattle voters chose to continue supporting the vital Family and Education Levy. Unfortunately, Initiative 1183 passed which will privatize liquor stores across the state and make alcohol more accessible to minors.

In the six races that OneAmerica Votes endorsed a candidate, five won. All Seattle City Council candidates who OneAmerica Votes endorsed – Bruce Harrell, Sally Clark, Tim Burgess, Tom Rasmussen, and Jean Godden – were victorious (though we endorsed both Ms. Godden and Bobby Forch for Position 1). Unfortunately, Richard Mitchell, who we endorsed for King Council Council, District 6, wasn’t successful in his race. An immigrant himself, Richard reflects the changing demographics of King County’s Eastside and impressed us with his vision for the district. OneAmerica Votes congratulates those we supported with their victories and encourages those who didn’t win this time to consider running again in the future.

The following is a statement from OneAmerica Votes Chief Executive Officer Pramila Jayapal:

“Voters across the country clearly sent a signal that extremist and divisive policies will not be tolerated. There has been a concerted and well-funded attack in recent years on immigrants, workers, and women. These attacks come from politicians and corporations who want to create an America where state government is weak and corporations rule, where wages are depressed while the income gap is increased.

These attacks were dealt a serious setback in these elections when voters renounced this direction for our country. In a historic election in Arizona, voters in suburban Phoenix recalled Russell Pearce, the architect of Arizona’s ‘show me your papers’ bill. Candidates in both parties should be improving their tone on immigration leading up to the 2012 election after such a visible anti-immigrant crusader was kicked out of office.

Voters in Ohio resoundingly stood up for working families and collective bargaining rights in the face of vast and secretive corporate political spending. For the first time in years, civil rights leaders fought alongside unions to defeat SB5, a cornerstone of the Koch brothers’ attack on public workers. Voters in Mississippi defended a women’s right to choose by resoundingly defeating a constitutional amendment that would have criminalized reproductive choice.

Here in Washington, voters overwhelmingly supported I-1163 which will provide stronger training for Washington home-care workers who are disproportionately people of color and immigrants. The loss of Initiative 1125 hands anti-government crusader Tim Eyman another defeat. In Seatac, two of three candidates who expressed anti-immigrant views, including some who pit seniors against refugees in campaign literature, were soundly defeated, while the third trails in a race that is too close to call.

The 2012 election will no doubt be the most expensive in our history. The shadowy front groups who are gearing up to take away hard-fought rights for immigrants, workers, and women should view this election as a cautionary tale. At the same time, these elections provide a hopeful reminder that immigrants and communities of color, workers, and women aren’t disparate voting blocks, but a united community and part of the 99%.”

Many important decisions will be made at both the state and  local level, from initiatives that impact access to public transportation and the safety of our communities to local races where candidates have clearly distinguished themselves as leaders on issues of importance to immigrants and refugees.

One thing that’s clear from the movement of pro-immigrant legislation in some areas and anti-immigrant legislation in others is this: Who we elect to represent us matters.

Read OneAmerica Votes’ Initiative and Candidate Endorsements.

Thankfully, in some key races, OneAmerica Votes has done the work interviewing candidates, asking them tough questions about their priorities, and how they will represent immigrants during their time in office. Now, we’re providing you-the voter-with our recommendations. Whether our picks line up with yours, the most important thing is to fill out your ballot and send it in by Tuesday, November 8.

Thanks for your participation in our democracy!

To learn more about what other progressive organizations are saying around the state, visit the 2011 Progressive Voter Guide.

Over the course of the last few months, OneAmerica Votes had more than 160,000 contacts with registered voters in Washington State, including a group of more than 25,000 immigrant voters that received phone calls, door-to-door canvassing and four direct mail pieces. Within that universe of 25,000 immigrant voters there were more than 17,000 Latino voters OneAmerica Votes was working to turn out. Based on preliminary numbers, those efforts to mobilize Latino voters in support of Patty Murray, pro-immigrant federal and state candidates, and the ballot initiatives are paying off in votes.

After controlling for partisanship and likelihood to vote, Latino voters within the OneAmerica Votes target universe are turning out at between 5% to 7% higher than Latinos who were not contacted by OneAmerica Votes. In addition, OneAmerica Votes voters as a whole were turning out primarily for Patty Murray (70.0%), with Latinos supporting Murray at an even higher rate (74.4%).

The following is a breakdown by likelihood to vote of voter turnout thus far in the election for Latino voters who were part of the control group and for those who were called, canvassed and contacted via direct mail by OneAmerica Votes and its volunteers (please note, these results are based on preliminary analysis):

Low-Medium Propensity Latino Voters

Control Group: 10.8%

OAV Universe: 15.9%

Differential: +5.1%

Medium Propensity Latino Voters

Control Group: 23.1%

OAV Universe: 28.6%

Differential: +5.5%

High Medium Propensity Latino Voters

Control Group: 37.1%

OAV Universe: 43.0%

Differential: +5.9%

Very High Propensity Latino Voters

Control Group: 54.4%

OAV Universe: 61.5%

Differential: 7.1%

Your votes on the ballot initiatives matter and will impact the health of our families and communities for years to come. They will determine funding levels for health care programs and how big your kids’ classes are. With that in mind, we urge voters to support I-1098, which will make our tax system more fair while generating $2 billion for education and health, and oppose I-1053, I-1082, I-1100/1105 and I-1107, measures that will harm our communities and result in devastating cuts to core services.

The picture above is a thank you note from a voter who received our ballot guide and used it to determine their votes on the initiatives. It reads: “Thank you! This was very helpful. Happy you did not send it any earlier because I would have probably misplaced it!” Listen to the person who wrote this card, find our guide helpful and, by all means, don’t misplace your ballot or your vote on the initiatives!

If you are looking for more information on the ballot initiatives, you can also visit our friends at Protect Washington.

In just its first year as an advocacy and political organization, OneAmerica Votes is engaging in the largest mobilization of immigrant voters in the state’s history. Watching volunteers and eligible voters engage in the democratic process has been exciting and has developed leadership skills within community groups across the state that will be critical to expanding the power of immigrant voters in this and future elections.

OneAmerica Votes, as an advocacy organization first and foremost, is committed to advocating for comprehensive immigration reform and to working to elect candidates of any political party that can find common ground in creating solutions to our nation’s biggest problems, most notably a fix to our broken immigration system. In addition, OneAmerica Votes advocates on ballot initiatives and other issues that impact immigrant communities.

With 162,000 contact nearly in the books and thousands more to come in future years, OneAmerica Votes continues to organize and increase the political voice of immigrant voters in Washington State.

After a multi-lingual greeting that taught attendees “We Vote!” in English, Spanish, Tigrinya, Vietnamese, Somali and Arabic, Mayor Mike McGinn spoke to the audience about the importance of voting in the upcoming election and in building power in immigrant communities through participation in the democratic process. Speakers highlighted the important choices on ballot measures this election, urging voters to Vote Yes on I-1098 and R52 and No on 1053, 1082, 1100/1105 and 1107.

Throughout the evening, interpretation was available in four languages (Somali, Tigrinya, Vietnamese and Spanish), but the talents of the night’s performers transcended language and culture, with audience members joining the Eritrean Youth Dance Group of Seattle on stage for dancing lessons and clapping along to the sounds of Hollis Wong-Wear and Amos Miller of The Heartfelts.

The night was truly a celebration of the power of immigrant voters in this election, where New Americans’ votes will prove crucial in numerous local and statewide races.