FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Patricia Hernandez
(559) 455-5782
patriciah@radiobilingue.org

Fueled by concerns about the war in Iraq and the recession, an unprecedented number of Latino voters are widely expected to go to the polls. Besides impacting the tight Presidential race, Latino turnout is expected to increase Latino representation in Congress and help decide the battle for the House and the Senate.

Radio Bilingüe will be providing the news on these developments with a focus on Latino voters and the work of grassroots organizations promoting citizen participation. Línea Abierta, the network-distributed talk show in Spanish, will air three two-hour special programs on the eve of Election Day, Election Day, and the day after Election Day.

AIR TIMES: Monday Nov. 1, Tuesday, Nov. 2, and Wednesday Nov. 3, 3 PM EDT to 5 PM EDT.

The programs will be distributed over the public radio satellite system.
The live feed is also available online: www.radiobilingue.org.

This special election coverage will include news-breaking stories from seasoned correspondents reporting from battleground states, live interviews with civic and watchdog leaders on grassroots efforts to protect the vote, live accounts from election observers, and commentary from analysts on voter turnout and the first results. The special report will follow Proposition 200 to ban public services for undocumented residents in Arizona; Measure F, which would make San Francisco the first city in California to allow non-citizens to vote; and Proposition 72, which may position California as the first state that requires health insurance for employees of large companies. In addition, correspondents will bring reports on the heated battles of Latino candidates for seats in the House and the Senate in Colorado, Florida and New Mexico.

Part of the series Hacia el Voto 2004, this special coverage is funded in part by the Community Technology Foundation of California, an institution that helps underserved communities to get access to social justice and equity through information and communication technologies.

Línea Abierta, the only Spanish-language news and talk show in public radio, airs weekdays on 40 stations throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and Mexico. It is a production of Radio Bilingüe, the national Latino public radio network.

For more information, please contact Patricia Hernandez at patriciah@radiobilingue.org.