National Latino Voter Group Begins Membership Drive

A national nonpartisan Latino voter education organization will make its first public appearance Wednesday to begin a membership drive.

The public has been invited to attend a dinner reception at the Center Club in Costa Mesa and become members of LAVA, or Latin American Voters of America, a nonprofit group dedicated to providing civic and voter education.

LAVA has spent the past two years researching voter trends, demographics and issues. The research has indicated that Latinos are the most underrepresented at the polls, and LAVA’s goal is to “dramatically increase the number of Latino voters in all elections,” said LAVA president Jess J. Araujo, a Santa Ana attorney.

“We as citizens have a duty to vote,” he said. “We don’t care how you vote, we just care that you vote.”

The dinner will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. County and city officials will present proclamations commending LAVA, Araujo will deliver the keynote address focusing on LAVA’s mission and Cal State Fullerton Prof. Isaac Cardenas will discuss Latino voting trends. The club is at 650 Town Center Drive.

Members will be asked to pay $25 for general membership or $150 to become “founding members,” whose names will be inscribed on a plaque and displayed at LAVA’s national headquarters in Santa Ana. Proceeds will be used to continue LAVA’s efforts to educate people about the importance of voting.

“Ultimately (voting) benefits our entire country,” Araujo said. “Our motto is: Democracy works best when everyone votes. . . . Our focus will initially be on the Latino community because the statistics say they are the least represented.”