If you ask a typical Whitman student how they participate in the political process, they’ll probably tell you that they vote. Voting seems a fairly simple and straightforward way of influencing government, but what if the candidates don’t speak your language, you can’t read the ballot and no one’s talking about the issues that matter to you? With these questions in mind, Whitman junior Ariel Ruiz and senior Pedro Galvao organized a forum for the Latino community in Walla Walla to discuss issues surrounding Latino voting.
“The Latino voice isn’t heard,” said Galvao.
According to him, Latinos are 20 percent of Walla Walla’s population, but cast only 2 percent of the votes.
“It’s important to change this, because there’s a lot of power in participation,” he said.
The forum was held on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009 at St. Patrick’s church, the only church in Walla Walla which offers services in Spanish. About 150 members of the community attended and participated in a roundtable discussion of issues facing the Latino community.
Originally, four Latino politicians from eastern Washington were scheduled to come, but all canceled at the last minute due to emergency conflicts.
“They think ‘Latinos don’t vote, so maybe change isn’t important to them,'” said Refugio Reyes, advisor for Walla Walla High School’s Club Latino. “If you don’t vote, you won’t be a priority.”
Instead of hearing from Latino politicians, community members spoke about the obstacles facing Latinos who want to vote. Several people said that they would vote if they could access voting materials in Spanish.
“Everything comes down to the fact that we lack information,” said sophomore Aaron Aguilar, president of Whitman’s Club Latino.
Galvao and Ruiz are trying to combat this lack of information. They are currently organizing a debate between Laura Grant and Terry Nealey, the candidates for the 16th district’s seat in the state House of Representatives. The event is scheduled to be held on the weekend of Oct. 17 and 18 and will be translated into Spanish.
For many people at the meeting, voting goes hand-in-hand with solving other challenges facing the Latino community.
“Education is one of the most important things,” said Imelda Rovoles, a Walla Walla resident.
However, access to higher education for Latinos is often limited, since undocumented students are usually ineligible for financial aid.
“Whitman offers aid to undocumented immigrants, but the majority of schools don’t do this,” said Aguilar.
The DREAM Act, currently before Congress, would change this by allowing undocumented students to apply for aid.
Other community members spoke about problems with management at work, such as being forced to work through breaks. Galvao encouraged people to speak up if they are treated unfairly.
“The law applies to everyone, even undocumented immigrants. The government is here to help us,” he said.
For some, though, the reality is not so simple.
“The laws are equal, but they’re not applied equally,” said Rovoles. “There’s a big difference.”
In spite of these challenges, hope seemed to dominate the discussion. Many people asked what they could do to get involved and who they could talk to about specific concerns. Many more promised to vote.
“When it’s time to vote, I will vote for those who can’t vote,” said Louis Gonzales, a Walla Walla resident. His proclamation was followed by a burst of applause.
Galvao and Ruiz hope to have more events which will mobolize the Latino community and increase political participation. Judging from the enthusiastic chant of ” ¡Si se puede!” which ended the meeting, they appear to be well on their way.
