By Jacqueline García
Originally published by CALÓ News on Oct. 14, 2024
A group of women volunteers gathered on the Eastside this month to phone bank in support of women running in the November election, including presidential candidate Kamala Harris. With laptops, headphones and a script on hand, volunteers made the calls, some of them in Spanish, from the Women’s March Action headquarters in Boyle Heights.
Among them were Rosalba Sernas and Mayvorly Boj, who paid close attention to the training they received at the nonprofit that focuses on building women’s political power to increase their representation in government.
Sernas said she was motivated by Harris’ campaign because she hopes that a woman will become president of the United States for the first time in history. As a mother and daughter, she identifies with Harris’ views on topics like reproductive rights, the economy, social security for the elderly, immigration and tax credits for families.
Sernas said it’s worth commuting from Culver City to Boyle Heights to volunteer because it is vital to have women helping other women.
“One phone call, a little volunteering time can make a difference,” she said, adding that she is also phone banking for other women candidates at local and federal level.
Boj said she is volunteering mainly because she sees her daughter getting very excited about the possibility of having the first female president. She said she has noticed that the younger voters are paying more attention and getting excited for Kamala.
“It is very exciting to see that we could have a woman president on both sides of the border now that Mexico has a female president,” she said. “Also, my daughter has big dreams of having Kamala as the president, and her dream is my dream,” Boj said.
Emiliana Guereca, executive director of Women’s March Action, an entity that focuses on building women’s political power to increase their representation in government, said that they are opening the doors for volunteers and providing them with training and tools needed to have successful campaigns.
Guereca said that when she started the organization in 2017, she knew Boyle Heights was the perfect location to mobilize voters across the country in support of women, and in this case specifically, for a woman president.
“The daughter of immigrants is running for president. That is inspirational, that gives me hope for our country,” she said.
Focusing on battleground states
These last days of campaigning are crucial in certain states like Arizona and Nevada. The Latino vote is key to moving the needle. Because a significant number of voters don’t speak English in these battle states, volunteers on the Eastside who are campaigning for Harris are focusing on making phone calls in Spanish.
Sernas said she feels motivated to make the phone calls in her native language because, in other states, there are women who identify with Harris’ ideals but don’t have the support or access to information on how to vote.
“We see in this moment, it doesn’t matter where you are from. What matters is that we work together to achieve our goal of having Kamala as president,” Sernas said.
Guereca said the phone calls in Spanish are coming out of California because this state has often led the way. She said that Spanish-speaking voters have to be heard, not just in California, but in other states like Wisconsin and Illinois.
“Latinas are the largest voting block and the youngest voting block currently. So we need to make sure that we continue to bring in people,” she explained. “We train people here every single day, even if they only volunteer for an hour. That’s enough to reach voters in Michigan and Wisconsin and Arizona or Pennsylvania.”
Kamala’s approach to Latinos
Volunteers and supporters also gathered this month to watch Harris at a town hall hosted by Univision in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The event at El Gallo Plaza in East L.A. was focused on undecided Latino voters living in swing states like Nevada and Arizona. While Harris’ campaign is working hard to appeal to these Latino voters, a recent poll showed that more Latinos in these states are opting for her opponent, former president Donald Trump.
Recent polls from the Economist/YouGov show that the gap among Latino voters is narrowing as time passes. In September, the poll showed Harris had 59% Latino voter support versus Trump’s 30%. However, by Oct. 7, the poll showed Harris leading with 48% and Trump following closely with 43%.
There are approximately 36.2 million, or 14.7%, of eligible Latino voters, making up the second-largest voting group after white voters, according to the Pew Research Center. That is close to four million more voters than in 2020. About half are expected to cast their ballots including those in battle states such as Arizona and Nevada.
Guereca said English and Spanish-speaking volunteers are needed to phone bank for the women candidates they are supporting.
“Even if you donate 30 mins or one hour to make phone calls that’s enough,” Guereca said.
The Women’s March Action office is open every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 3 to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The office is located at 1862 E. 1st Street in Boyle Heights. For more information visit womensmarchaction.com.
