Planned Parenthood Aims to Register More Latino Voters on National Voter Registration Day

This National Registration Day, Planned Parenthood Federation of America is partnering with Voto Latino, Mi Familia Vota, and iAmerica's RISE campaign. The digital voter registration campaign, which aligns with Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15), urges Latinos to register to vote and to encourage their families, friends, and neighbors to join them.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America is committed to registering voters and protecting voters' rights, because voting is one of the most important tools we have to advocate for our fundamental human rights and for a healthcare system that guarantees access and affordability for everyone. Suppressing people's access to the polls is a direct attack on their ability to fight back against oppressive and dangerous policies that control their bodies and health.

"Many of the 2.4 million patients that Planned Parenthood health centers see each year are young people, people of color, or people with low incomes -- all groups that have faced targeted attacks on their right to participate in the political process," said Deirdre Schifeling, national director of organizing and campaigns at Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

"We have a responsibility to ensure that communities that have been traditionally underrepresented, marginalized, and discriminated against have a mechanism to advocate for their rights," she continued. "Planned Parenthood is fighting for people's access to the polls because attacks on the constitutional right to participate in our democracy are, by extension, attacks on reproductive health care, immigrants, disability rights, racial justice, and LGBTQ rights. We are working alongside community partners to register voters and ensure that all voices are heard."

In May, instead of working to strengthen the Voting Rights Act and end the strategic suppression of people of color's right to vote, President Trump created a commission to investigate his widely disproven and racially charged claims of voter fraud in an attempt to undermine the integrity of U.S. elections.

Planned Parenthood condemned this attempt by the Trump administration to disenfranchise Americans and continues to join voting rights advocates in condemning voter suppression and standing against the discriminatory tactics -- like implementing voter ID laws and limiting early voting -- that are systematically used to target communities of color and young people.

Planned Parenthood is the nation's leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable healthcare for women, men, and young people, as well as the nation's largest provider of sex education. With more than 600 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood affiliates serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect and without judgment.

Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable health information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives.

For more information, visit http://www.wemustrise.org