FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                              CONTACT:

October 10, 2008                                                                        Alma Martinez

                                                                                                   (559) 455-5753

                                                                                             almam@radiobilingue.org

Election Day reports will highlight Hacia El Voto 2008 coverage Nov. 3-5

(October 10, 2008) -- Election Day coverage by Radio Bilingüe’s Hacia el Voto 2008 series will feature a special extended, six-hour-long program as well as two-hour specials the day before and after reporting on what could be an historic election with the highest voter participation and an increased Latino turnout.

Teaming up with reporters based at partner stations nationwide, the year-long series will air on Election Day from 12 to 4 p.m. PDT and again from 8 to 10 p.m. PDT focusing on presidential and key congressional races around the country.  

On Monday, Nov. 3, a pre-Election Day special will air from noon to 2 p.m. and on Wednesday, Nov. 5, an aftermath report will air also from noon to 2 p.m. 

The 2008 political contest has experienced high voter participation in precincts across the nation that has included an increase in Latino ballot markers. Fueled by a surge in naturalization rates and a large number of native-born Latinos turning 18, the Latino electorate has experienced a historic growth that will be felt in America’s voting booths.

Hacia el Voto 2008 has covered this story extensively since it began airing in January in Chicago through “Linea Abierta on the Road” -- a special itinerant series originating from the home site of partnering stations throughout the nation and heard on Radio Bilingüe’s network of 100 affiliates in the U.S. 

The program has visited eight cities and aired 15 shows in collaboration with local public media outlets -- including gavel to-gavel coverage of the two political conventions this summer -- taking on the issues relevant not just to the Latino communities locally, regionally and nationally but the electorate in general.

Election Day will be no different – except with an increased fervor as campaigns go silent and voters make their choices.

News reporting will include traditional voter turnout accounts, focusing on exit polls from battleground states where Latinos may play a pivotal role such as the "Cactus Corridor” of Nevada, New México, Colorado and Arizona as well as high Latino population areas as California, Texas, Illinois, Washington, and Florida.

Coverage also will be strong in Pennsylvania and North Carolina, which are emerging as key states to monitor, Samuel Orozco, Radio Bilingüe’s executive producer said.

“Hacia el Voto’s news team will delve beyond the national scope with overviews of municipal and state races where Latino candidates may play a groundbreaking role,” he said. “Reports will angle on frequently asked questions by voters such as voting precincts issues, language assistance, etc.”

Special coverage will include news reporting on non-governmental organizations as they monitor the election process in their effort to protect the vote in communities of color and in minority-dominated precincts – the operations of voting machines, voting booths, poll workers and vote observers.

“Sweeping across the country this election season, Hacia el Voto news teams have seen, and reported on the emergence and strengthening of the Latino voice and vote,” Orozco said. “The coming Election Day coverage will provide some fascinating insights into the impact this community will have now and in the future.”

Hacia el Voto 2008 partners have included Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network (HITN-TV), a non-profit, bilingual TV network based in Brooklyn, NY; WRTE-FM, Radio Arte, in Chicago; KDNA-FM Radio Cadena in Granger, WA; and San Francisco’s public station KQED.

The series is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Mitchel Kapor Foundation and ZeroDivide. Additional funding is provided by The California Endowment, the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the James Irvine Foundation.

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