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'Baldo' Comic Strip, Southwest Voter Team Up to Urge Voter Registration Effort in '04 ElectionPopular comic strip set to be published September 28th, Coincides with National Voter Registration Day
September 2004 (Newstream) -- The creators of the popular comic strip Baldo have teamed up with Southwest Voter Registration Education Project (SVREP) to urge those who have yet to register to vote to do so in time for the November '04 presidential election. In a strip to be published on September 28th, Baldo, the strips main character, urges his Tía Carmen to register to vote and reminds her that "su voto es su voz." "No matter where you stand on the issues, this election is one of the most important elections in our lifetime," said Antonio González, President of Southwest Voter Registration Education Project (SVREP). "We are excited about a partnership with Baldo. This partnership provides a unique opportunity for SVREP to reach out to those who have yet to register and remind them that time is running out." "Baldo and Tía Carmen urging Latinos to vote coincide with national voter registration day. Mark your calendars, September 28, 2004 is national registration day, and if you have not yet registered to vote do so. You can log on line to register at www.svrep.org, visit one of our offices, or one of the hundreds of SVREP volunteers will register you," continues González. Baldo, created by Hector Cantú and Carlos Castellanos, is published in over 200 newspapers across the United States. Among them are newspapers in Washington, Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, the Rio Grande Valley, Los Angeles, Oakland, Fresno, and two-dozen other papers in California. It also appears in Philadelphia, Miami, Denver, Hartford, Tucson, Indianapolis, among many others. "We think it is important to remind people that we all have a responsibility to register and get out and vote," said Hector Cantú, Baldo Creator. "Baldo and Tía Carmen get it. Hopefully the people who read our strip will get it too. Whether you're a democrat, a republican or an independent, the stakes are higher this election," concluded Cantú. "There's a lot going on right now and whoever is chosen president will have a tremendous responsibility to take this country in the right direction. We just felt strongly that we had to do something about it and Baldo is a perfect voice," added Carlos Castellanos, Baldo Creator. Voter registration deadlines vary state-by-state. SVREP, in partnership with Baldo, will make Latinos aware of the need to register to vote in preparation for this year's general elections. The deadline to register to vote in the general election, in most of the states where SVREP is conducting voter registration nonpartisan campaigns, is October 4, 2004. Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Florida are among the states with October 4 deadlines. Washington State's registration deadline is October 3; New Mexico's deadline is October 5; North Carolina is October 9; California's deadline is October 18; and, Nevada and Oregon registration deadlines are October 12, 2004. Baldo first appeared in newspapers in April 2000. It was among Universal Press Syndicate's 4 most successful comic strip launches. The strip has been optioned by Univision for a possible TV production. Baldo's creators, Hector Cantú and Carlos Castellanos, are both accomplished professionals. Cantú is a newspaper editor in Dallas; Castellanos is a freelance artist in West Palm Beach, FL. SVREP is involved in two national voter registration and mobilization campaigns. The 10-4 Campaign is a partnership with the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) and the Hispanic Federation based in New York. The Campaign for Communities focuses on battleground states in collaboration with the Earth Day Network, the NAACP National Voter Fund and others to mobilize a million new minority and young voters in competitive states. SVREP, in partnership with the national two campaigns and others, will work to increase the Latino voter registration and turnout to 10 million Latino registered voters and 7.5 million Latino votes cast on November 2, 2004. By comparison, in 2000 7.5 million Latinos were registered to vote and 5.3 million Latinos cast their vote. The 10-4 campaign, or 10 million registered Latinos in '04, will break all set records in Latino politics. Southwest Voter Registration Education Project (SVREP) is a national
nonprofit nonpartisan organization committed solely to the political
empowerment of Latino communities through voter registration, voter
education and voter participation. SVREP was established in 1974 by the
late Willie Velásquez to encourage civic and political participation in
Latino and other underrepresented communities. Since its inception,
SVREP has registered over 2.2 million Latino voters throughout the
southwest and Florida. SVREP has offices in San Antonio, Texas; Los
Angeles, California; Miami, Florida; and Phoenix, Arizona. Visit
www.svrep.org for
more information.
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