WASHINGTON — Election Day is less than a week away, and one grassroots organization focused on empowering and educating the Latinx community on inclusive democracy.

VotoLatino, which is based out of Washington D.C., has volunteers across the nation to encourage Americans to register to vote.

The managing director at VotoLatino, Danny Friedman, said they had a goal to register 500,000 new voters by Election Day. 

“No denial there’s an important responsibility and opportunity to engage this year in ways that haven’t been the case for these youngest of voters before,” Friedman said.

According to Friedman, for the first time the Latinx population is the largest non-white voting group nationally.

VotoLatino focused its efforts in Los Angeles, and California’s Central Valley. California is home to about 15 million Latinos, amounting to 39% of the state’s population.

“California is one of our critical states where we are helping register voters, especially important for our Latinx communities where resources are often underrepresented,” Friedman said.

VotoLatino partnered with Lyft for the primaries to ensure voters had a free ride to their polling places. The nonprofit and nonpartisan group also received star power from dozens of celebrities, some of whom sit on their board like Rosario Dawson, America Ferrera, and Wilmer Valderrama.

“They bring creativity and passion to work that’s being done by folks in the community. They also bring access to other audiences that Latinos may not be able to reach as they work on the ground,” Friedman said.

Friedman said what really makes the organization unique is each volunteer’s commitment, some with similar stories to his own. 

“When I was a kid, Proposition 187 happened, and my mom was a green card holder, [a] Mexican resident alien. She was astounded at what was happening and said ‘I can’t let this stand and I have to get registered. I have to become a resident citizen and register to vote.’ She became a registered citizen and voted for the first time that year,” Friedman said.

California’s Proposition 187 was a 1994 ballot initiative that would establish a state-run citizenship screen system and make it illegal for undocumented immigrants to use public benefits like non-emergency health care or public education.

This year, VotoLatino has gained more attention and funds, which helped reach their goal of registering 500,000 new voters in time for Election Day.

Friedman said their team in L.A. County spent months informing voters about new voting centers, systems, and encouraging people to vote early or by mail to avoid any complications on Election Day.