‘They can make the difference’: Volunteer initiative seeks to register more Puerto Rican, Latino voters in Philly

What questions do you have about the 2024 elections? What major issues do you want candidates to address? Let us know.

With voter registration forms and clipboards in hand, groups of canvassers hit the pavement in Philadelphia’s Fairhill neighborhood Saturday in an effort to get out the vote. Organizers said more than 200 people signed up to go door-to-door to register voters, provide information about mail ballots and polling places and educate people about the upcoming presidential elections on Nov. 5.

The People for Puerto Rico organized the event with the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, the New Pennsylvania Project and community leaders.

Karen Rodríguez, founder of The People for Puerto Rico, a community activist group in the Greater Philadelphia area, said there are a number of eligible voters who are not registered in the Fairhill neighborhood.

“Hopefully with all of our collective efforts, because there are many organizations here, that will create a seed that eventually blossoms into a voting block out of the city of Philadelphia that can really make or break decisions politically,” she said.

Pennsylvania has the third-largest Puerto Rican population outside of the island, and Philadelphia has the second-largest Puerto Rican diaspora community after New York City.

There are more than 615,000 Latino Pennsylvanians of voting age, according to Pew Research Center. Puerto Ricans make up a little less than half of the state’s total Hispanic population, according to Census data.

Known as “El Centro de Oro,” Fairhill’s Puerto Rican community is made up of families who have lived there for generations, along with others who arrived from the island in the past several years. Many of the newcomers were forced to move in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Though United States citizens, Puerto Ricans on the island are not eligible to vote for president in the general election. Once they move to the mainland and reside in one of the 50 states, they can vote in local and national general elections.

Charito Morales, volunteer and team lead for a group of canvassers Saturday, said a lot of the work organizers and volunteers are doing involves educating Puerto Rican community members about their right to vote, how to register and more.

“They can make the difference,” she said. “It’s a lot of them that are actually not registered to vote, and we want to make sure they register to vote. And if they have any questions, we can answer the questions today, let them know, ‘Hey, your vote is really important. This is a really huge presidential campaign. Make sure that you make [up] your mind.’”

Morales, a longtime community leader and organizer, led a group of student volunteers from Community College of Philadelphia. She showed the younger generation the ropes of door knocking, registering people to vote and recording voter outreach efforts. Morales’ group was one of the canvassing teams that also distributed literature from Democratic presidential nominee and current Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign with instructions on how to register to vote.

“¿Estás registrado para votar?,” she called out to people who answered the door or were seated on their porches. “Are you registered to vote? Do you know what time the polls open? Have you changed your address?”

Morales and the volunteers helped one voter record her change of address, and made sure the voter knew the location of her new polling place. It’s these details, she said, that make the difference.

For Daj’jour Porter Beatty, 20, Saturday was his first time canvassing.

The CCP student, who lived in the neighborhood as a teen, said he came out because “everybody’s opinion matters” and he wanted to encourage people to cast their ballot.

“We’re the people that makes up this country, you know? We can’t just let the people that run it do whatever they want,” Porter Beatty said.

After a little over an hour of door knocking, Porter Beatty said the experience was “pretty good actually.”

“Some people don’t want to vote, but it’s okay, we still leave them with information they need,” he said.

According to Marcus Greene, Philadelphia regional organizing director at the New Pennsylvania Project, a nonpartisan voting rights organization, more than 2 million Pennsylvania residents who are eligible to vote are not registered.

Greene, who canvassed with volunteers Saturday, said an in-person conversation, as opposed to other forms of voter outreach, “really gets people engaged.”

“It’s really a lack of understanding, a lack of education on what to do, what the process is,” he said. “How can I really effectively make my vote count by being educated on the people that are running, the issues that are going on in our community? So it’s really that educational piece that’s vital to get them out.”

Pennsylvania state Rep. Danilo Burgos, whose district includes parts of Fairhill, stopped by to greet the canvassers. For Burgos, a Democrat, registering Puerto Rican and other Latino voters is key if Harris wants to follow President Joe Biden’s 2020 win in Pennsylvania.

“Our rights are on the line,” Burgos, who is Dominican American, said. “If we don’t vote this November 5, November 6 will look very different, and it’s not going to look in a way favorable to communities like mine.”

Both Harris’ and former President Donald Trump’s campaigns have focused on Puerto Rican voters in the Keystone State. Recent polls show Harris is ahead with Pa. Hispanic voters, but Trump has also tried to make inroads.

In June, Trump opened up a campaign outreach office in the majority-Latino city of Reading, and at an Aug. 30 rally in Johnstown, Pa., Puerto Rican reggaetón stars Anuel AA and Justin Quiles appeared alongside Trump and endorsed him for president.

But many Puerto Ricans still recall what they saw as Trump’s dismissive response as president to Puerto Ricans’ suffering post-Maria.

On Saturday, one resident told canvassers he would be voting for Harris, and referenced the infamous moment when Trump visited Puerto Rico in the hurricane’s aftermath and tossed paper towels into the crowd.

Morales said for volunteers working to register voters, it all comes down to making sure people’s voices are heard — they’re not telling people who to vote for.

“It’s different ways for you to cast your vote,” she said. “Come on and do what you have to do, what is best for the nation.”