With election day less than six weeks away, leaders in the Latino community are encouraging people to get involved with the political process.
The 2014 elections garnered record low voter turnout among Latino Americans.
Leaders in the Latino community in Omaha are encouraging young people to vote and run for political office.
The Metro Young Latino Professionals Association, MYLPA, says now is more important than ever to get involved with politics.
Alondra Gutierrez is an Omaha South High School graduate who wants to eventually run for school board.
Not enough parents in the Latino community get their kids involved in American politics, Gutierrez said.
"They believe that their voice doesn't count,” Gutierrez said. “I want them to understand that no matter what race you are, if you're Hispanic, if you don't speak the language, there's always something you can voice to everybody out there.”
Gutierrez is an example of what MYLPA wants to see more of - young, educated Latinos realizing the importance of running for political office and voting.
"The lack of involvement isn't so much discouraging, it's sometimes the cynicism of people that 'their vote doesn't matter, that it doesn't really matter who they vote for,' said Juan Cangas, MYLPA president. “At the end of the day people are going to do what they want. But that's not the truth. Your voice and your vote do matter."
MYLPA brought political leaders from Nebraska and Colorado to the Salvation Army Kroc Center to show young Hispanics what it’s like to run for office and why it’s important.
“Our goal is to try to encourage young Latinos to want to run for an office or understand that there are boards out there that need to be represented," said Anna Hernandez-Valencia, MYLPA outreach coordinator.
With 60 high school students at the conferences and high attendance, MYLPA says it's refreshing to connect young Latinos with people like Gutierrez.
"We need to show everybody that we are powerful not just because we are Latinos,” Gutierrez said.
The Hispanic population is about 10 percent in Nebraska and is expected to more than double by 2050.
MYLPA is a non-partisan group and had both Democrat and Republican politicians at their event.
