Day in and day out, NALEO Educational Fund works to empower the Latino community to participate in the American political process, promote policies that advance Latino civic engagement and increase the effectiveness of Latino policymakers on various issues, including education and health.
We also continue to push for a permanent legislative solution to our nation’s broken immigration system and a modern-day fix to the Voting Rights Act (VRA) that will ensure the rights of eligible Latino voters are protected across the country.
Naturalization
Since its inception, NALEO Educational Fund has solidified its standing as a leader in naturalization assistance and promotion. Through its citizenship workshops, NALEO Educational Fund has assisted more than 130,000 legal permanent residents with the citizenship application while our bilingual hotline and website have provided information to nearly 850,000 people. NALEO Educational Fund also provides expert technical assistance to build the capacity of local partners.
Voter Engagement
Since its inception, NALEO Educational Fund has solidified its standing as a leader in naturalization assistance and promotion. Through its citizenship workshops, NALEO Educational Fund has assisted more than 130,000 legal permanent residents with the citizenship application while our bilingual hotline and website have provided information to nearly 850,000 people. NALEO Educational Fund also provides expert technical assistance to build the capacity of local partners.
NALEO Educational Fund’s non-partisan voter outreach and engagement program registers voters and offers information on every aspect of the electoral process through a national bilingual toll-free hotline and website. The organization also provides technical training and informational publications to increase the capacity of other organizations to bring Latinos in the fold of our American democracy.
In the lead up to Election 2016, NALEO Educational Fund will be hard at work to help drive turnout among the more than 28.5 million Latinos who will be eligible to cast ballots next November. As in previous election cycles, NALEO Educational Fund will implement our Ve Y Vota campaign, an unprecedented voter engagement program that provides hundreds of thousands of voters with vital information in both English and Spanish; from how to register to vote, to figuring out voter identification requirements, to finding their polling place.
This effort includes NALEO Educational Fund’s toll-free national bilingual hotline 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA (1-888-839-8682) and www.veyvota.org website, which will also be in full operation in advance of Election 2016. The hotline and website serve as a non-partisan bilingual resource for voters with questions about any aspect of the electoral process. The hotline has assisted more than 100,000 voters to date.
Latino Political Leadership
NALEO Educational Fund’s constituency comprises more than 6,000 elected and appointed Latino public officials; it includes officials from nearly every state, from Members of Congress to local school board members. Officials are actively engaged in NALEO Educational Fund programs, including its national policy and networking events as well as local, community-centered programs.
NALEO Policy Institutes each year bring together 250 Latino policymakers with subject matter experts to focus on a single policy issue and increase their expertise. The NALEO National Institute for Newly Elected Officials provides training and technical assistance to Latino policy makers at the onset of their public service careers.
The NALEO Annual Conference is the largest gathering of Latino elected and appointed officials, and is considered a must-attend event. Past speakers have included President Barack Obama, Former Governor Mitt Romney, Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Former Governor Jeb Bush.
Data and Research
NALEO Educational Fund also serves as an invaluable resource on Latino political progress and participation through its research and advocacy on policies that further Latino access to the political process.
Areas of expertise include election reform, voting rights and governance, census and redistricting, naturalization and comprehensive immigration reform, and Latino appointments.