HISPANIC HERITAGE 2015

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Background Information  After the expiration of the consent decree, The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections adopted a resolution letter in an open meeting on March 6, 2015 to commit to the continuation of bilingual services for Spanish speaking registered voters of Cuyahoga County. Part of the resolution is to implement a community outreach plan focused on the Hispanic Community.  The Hispanic Outreach Plan addressed issues that were identified in the 2013 Bilingual Access Community Survey. Community survey respondents report having the following difficulties when voting: changes in their voting place/location, ballot language, scanner, and outdated voter information. The voters were also asked about which way our method is most likely to help them vote. The results stated that the preferred forms of outreach are the following: mailing information to their homes, billboards, distribution of information in their neighborhood local stores and businesses, ads in La Prensa and on the radio. 

Demographic reports indicate that the largest population of Latinos in Cuyahoga County reside in the area of Ward 14 in Cleveland. After analyzing the 2014 surname analysis, number of bilingual precincts, and the 2014 turnout report, it was concluded that our outreach efforts should have more emphasis in this area. All polling locations have more than one bilingual precinct and the voter turnout is one of the lowest in the entire County.

This plan was an effort to help eliminate barriers to voting and create additional participation in the democratic process. We are encouraging Latinos to learn more about the election process, how they may become candidates for elected office, and how to seek employment opportunities at the Board of Elections. We are opening these opportunities to all Latino voters, including the Limited English Proficiency voters, through education and community partnerships.    

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Hispanic Heritage Week For the first time in its history, the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections took part in National Hispanic Heritage month. We celebrated by creating our Hispanic Heritage Week education campaign to address the following topics:• The participation of Latino voters (additional)• The civic contributions of Latino Leaders (recognize)• Latino heritage and culture (show respect and recognize)

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Events Puerto Rican Parade When: August 2, 2015Description:The purpose was to maximize visibility in the Hispanic Community and showcase the Spanish services available at the BOE. This gave the BOE an opportunity to provide voter information in a festive and culturally appropriate setting.  Kickoff Event: Bilingual Poll Worker Appreciation CeremonyWhen: August 13Where: Julia de Burgos Art CenterDescription: This is an Annual Event that celebrates loyalty, hard work, and Latino culture, to retain our valuable Bilingual Poll Workers and attract potential new bilingual poll workers.

Bilingual Job Fair When: September 17, 2015Time: 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Where: 2925 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44115Description: The BOE is interested in maintaining a diverse workforce. Spanish speaking employees are in high demand. The Job Fair helped recruit bilingual staff and we collected resumes to create a talent bank.

Latino Civic Engagement ConferenceWhen: September 19, 2015Location: 2925 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44115Time: 10:30 a.m. Description: Panel Discussion (Spanish and English)Subject: What Role Will Hispanic Voters Play in the 2016 Elections? Description:Initiate a dialog with specific topics amongst a select group of panelists who shared differing perspectives.

• Educational Workshops: Candidates 101: 2hrs Petitions, Campaign Finance, Website

Orientation provided an opportunity to members of the

Hispanic Community that are considering running for office to learn about the process.• Voter Registration Drive (Spanish and English) 40

minutesProvided information and techniques on

how to conduct a successful voter registration drive.

National Voter Registration DayWhen: September 22Description:A celebration of coordinated outreach efforts that created awareness of voter registration champions who collaborated in the success of reaching our registration goal.

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Puerto Rican ParadeAugust 2, 2015 In partnership with All Phase General Construction.Theme:

Cuyahoga County Votes Bilingual Ballots

Float Features:

BohioThe Float was decorated as a bohio, which is a Puerto Rican native Indian's house.

DJ Castro, Musicians Playing Bomba y PlenaBomba and plena are percussion-driven musical traditions from Puerto Rico that move people to dance. Often mentioned together as though they were a single musical style, both reflect the African heritage of Puerto Rico).

VejigantesA vejigante is a folkloric character in Puerto Rican festival celebrations, mainly seen at Carnival time.

Staff and VolunteersStaff and volunteers dressed up in typical Puerto Rican customs, and carried flags and signs promoting our services..

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Bilingual Poll Worker Appreciation CeremonyAugust 13, 2015Julia de Burgos Art Center35 Attendees

This annual awards ceremony celebrates loyalty, hard work and Latino culture to help retain valuable bilingual poll workers and attract potential new bilingual poll workers.

Hispanic Civic Engagement AwardsEstablished by The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections to recognize the important contributions that Latinos are making within their communities through community service and civic engagement.• “Luchador” Volunteer Service Award• “Unidos” Community Partner Agency Award• “Adelante” Hispanic Leadership Award

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Bilingual Poll Worker Appreciation Ceremony Awards

“Luchador” Volunteer Service Award• A person who is determined to persevere and promote civic participation • Volunteers by doing community service hours without compensation• Strong commitment and passion for the voting rights of Latino voters• Successful track history of civic participation• Purposely fosters a culture of community service

Awarded to: Magda Gómez

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Bilingual Poll Worker Appreciation Ceremony Awards “Unidos” Community Partner Agency Award

Collaborative effort between the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections and the Community Latino Agency to recognize an outstanding organization with the following attributes:

• Encouraged volunteerism by recruiting poll workers and supporting voter education initiatives.• Supported continuous activities resulting in voter engagement activities• Cultivated a higher standard of life in the communities it serves• Honors unity, connection, togetherness, and collaboration.• “En la union está la fuerza,” relates to the saying, “There is strength in numbers.”

Awarded to Julia de Burgos Art Center

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Bilingual Poll Worker Appreciation Ceremony Awards “Adelante” Hispanic Leadership Award

“Carry on. Move forward. If we all work together, we’ll get through this.” A courageous leader makes decisions to move their mission forward, especially in fearful situations or periods of intense change when it feels unsafe to commit to moving forward with a decision. This award honors someone who:

• Works persistently to ensure Latino and Spanish speaking voters in Cuyahoga County have access to ongoing voter education services • Leads civic engagement initiatives in their community to make an impact on past, current, and future generations for long term success• Has a proven track record of leading a group of community advocates as demonstrated by outstanding voter registration drives and offering of innovative services to motivate voters to participate in the electoral process • Contributes to the civic involvement of other Hispanic agencies in the Latino Community

Awarded to Pablo Castro

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Bilingual Poll Workers Appreciation Ceremony Program Book

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Bilingual Poll Workers Appreciation Ceremony Program Book

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Event Pictures

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Bilingual Career Informational Expo Spanish speaking employees are in high demand at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. We conducted a job fair to recruit bilingual staff, and as a result were able to create a talent bank with the resumes we collected.

Summary:Attendance:60Resumes collected:19Bilingual:6Bilingual with BA:4Bilingual with HS: 2Hired as a Temporary Worker: 2

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Event Pictures

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Latino Civic Engagement Conference The purpose of this event was to bring together a group of individuals from the Latino community with various perspectives and experiences as they relate to voting. Each panelist provided an overview of their thoughts about the role Latinos will play in the 2016 elections in Cuyahoga County and their ideas for increasing voter registration and participation.

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Latino Civic Engagement Conference Summary September 19, 2015Cuyahoga County Board of Elections24 AttendeesThought Provoking Comments and Questions from the Audience:

A woman from Cleveland believes in the power of social media because it is everywhere we go and helps bring awareness about elections and issues. She is concerned about the lack of civic education, especially for those who come from a country where you do not have to register in order to vote. These individuals must learn about the process of democracy within the United States of America. How can we start something different to receive the voting and civic education that we need?

A woman from Texas inquired about Hispanics who are U.S. citizens, but do not speak English. These individuals were not sent to school and have a hard time communicating, therefore they do not get involved. How can we provide more services to the Spanish speaking voters?

Rico Neller of the La Prensa Newspaper voiced her opinion that one vote makes a big difference. She recommended that the Board of Elections always have a presence at festivals with a booth to register voters.

Many Spanish voters have not declared a political party. Is it good or bad to declare party affiliation?

Luis Cartagena:There is a great disengagement issue. Please provide a suggestion or a strategy to build the needed platform to create the political power we (Lantinos) need. 

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The Latino Engagement Conference

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The Latino Engagement Conference

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Pictures

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Media and News Article linksThe printed copies of the articles begin on page 25. • La Prensa Newspaperhttp://www.laprensatoledo.com/Stories/2015/092515/ccboe.htm• Facebook Event https://www.facebook.com/events/727313800729839/• You Tube Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS9VKQ7RfeI• Plain Dealer http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2015/09/cuyahoga_county_election_offic.html

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National Voter Registration Day In recognition of National Voter Registration Day, the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections and Cleveland Votes launched the “Register Now” campaign.

The Board and its community partners set and made their goal of registering or updating the registrations of 10,000 voters by encouraging them to Register Now instead of putting it off until it may be too late to vote in the November 3rd General Election.

The BOE and its partners used their social media and websites to promote registration and to update the progress of their efforts for three weeks leading up to National Voter Registration Day. 

22National Voter Registration Day Events The Board of Elections held Register Now events on September 22nd: • Cleveland State University

Student Union, 2121 Euclid Ave. from 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

• Cuyahoga County Community College Metro Campus Cafeteria, 2900 Community College Drive from 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

• Tower City Food Court from

11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 -6:00 p.m.

• Urban West Community School, 4909 Lorain Ave, Cleveland from 4:00 - 8:00-p.m. Bilingual Event

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National Voter Registration Day Events SummaryGoalRegister or update the registrations of at least 10,000 voters by encouraging them to “register now” instead of putting it off.

Voter Registration Results from September 1 – 28, 2015 New Registrations: 3,334Updated Registrations: 6,919Total: 10,253

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Results and AccomplishmentsResults•Increased bilingual workforce based on the Hispanic total population in Cuyahoga County•Increased visibility and services•Strengthened partnerships with Latino leaders and organizations

Moving Forward•Many partnerships will continue to work with us on similar campaigns in 2016•Establish additional partnerships in 2016•This campaign served as a pilot project for next year’s “Election Ready” voter education campaign