US pols seek to sway arrivals from Puerto Rico before vote
She's searching for people like Shaimir Berrios, a 28-year-old who recently relocated to
Berrios, selling natural soaps from one of the booths, moved to
"People have to look for change because it affects us. We have to get involved," she said, filling out the paperwork to register on a recent Sunday.
The intensity of political attention is new for Puerto Ricans, who are accustomed to not having much political clout. While they are
Political operatives, pollsters and politicians in at least four states are working hard to find people like Berrios, Puerto Ricans who are eligible to vote and whose party affiliation may be up for grabs. The efforts are particularly aggressive in
In
"The bottom line is that mobilizing and getting out the vote of the Puerto Ricans is going to be critical," she said.
At least 450,000 Puerto Ricans moved to the
The recent street festival in the
"We are just working so the Puerto Rican community can have its voice heard," the volunteer,
But others are overtly partisan efforts.
The
"It's an important vote for us," said
The
A conservative effort is combining education and politics.
"We don't talk about candidates, but we do talk about public policies," said Grajales, who is director of coalitions at the LIBRE Initiative, a parent organization.
Around 80 people were attending three separate classes on a recent evening near
Dinette Rivera, one of the students, came to the mainland days after the hurricane knocked out power and water to most of
"We can choose someone who can help us," she said outside the class in an office park.
The people in the classrooms are also being targeted by the main candidates for the
"The call is to every Puerto Rican to be electorally active in
At the street festival in Kendall, one newly registered voter said she was preparing to do just that.
"It would be great if
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