Voto Latino, Chispa dating app target Gen Z Latino voters
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Image courtesy: Voto Latino and Chispa
Chispa, the popular dating app among Latinos, and Voto Latino are teaming up again to encourage Gen Z Hispanics to register to vote
Why it matters: Young Latino voters could significantly impact this year's elections, as they make up nearly one-third of the 36.2 million eligible Hispanic voters.
- In Florida, Latinos make up about one-fifth of the state's electorate and represent the third-largest number of Latino eligible voters in the country, according to a report from UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute.
Driving the news: Since January, Voto Latino has registered more than 150,000 voters, according to the organization.
- More than 6,500 of those registrations followed President Biden's endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, and the majority were young Latinas, Diana Castañeda, VP of communications at Voto Latino, told Axios.
What they're saying: "We want to meet these young voters where they're at," she said, whether that's podcasts, streaming services or even dating apps.
- In 2022, the Chispa app drove 300,000 users to Voto Latino's election hub.
How it works: App users see in-app prompts encouraging them to engage with the hub, which has registration tools, early voting information, and candidate insights, and a Voto Latino link they can follow.
- Users can also use the app's "sticker" collection to share views on key issues.
The intrigue: For young Latino voters, two key issues stand out: the economy and housing, Castañeda said. For young Latina women, it's the economy and reproductive rights.
Zoom in: Florida's ballot initiative that would enshrine abortion in the state's constitution is expected to mobilize young voters across the state.
- Miami-Dade's Latino population will likely have a strong influence on the outcome.
Zoom out: One of the bigger challenges facing youth voters is disinformation, particularly around whether their vote matters or the difficulty of registering, Castañeda said. The partnership is trying to change that.
- The other challenge, Castañeda said, is ensuring those who register make it out to the polls on Election Day.