PHOENIX — A nonprofit that works to mobilize Latino voters says its canvassers are encountering more intimidation than in previous elections.
Mi Familia Vota is knocking on doors in Arizona and nine other states, and the group’s CEO said its employees have experienced verbal and physical attacks and other harassment.
“We have seen people trying to exclude us from the process,” CEO Héctor Sánchez Barba said. “Filming our canvassers. There have been some cases of physical attacks, etc.”
He blames anti-immigrant campaign rhetoric.
“It's a clear intention to make us feel afraid,” Sánchez said. “Make us feel that we don't belong here. Make us feel that democracy is not for us.”
None of the group’s workers in Arizona have been attacked, although some canvassers have reported encountering armed people answering the door.
“The extreme situations are pretty rare,” said Fernando Tarazon, a Mi Familia Vota canvasser lead. “As far as getting intimidated at the door and, you know, getting a door slammed – that's not too uncommon.”
But the group’s workers have been harassed in other ways. Tarazon said canvassers are sometimes followed.
"That's a big issue, so we do try to get them away from that situation,” he said.
Mi Familia Vota has safety measures in place and trains its workers in how to deal with tough situations.
“First and foremost, stay calm,” Tarzaon said. “Stay respectful.”
Canvassers are also trained to walk away if things get too tense.
“If it does get to an extreme level, then you know, thank them for the time, and just get away from that,” Tarazon said.
Mi Familia Vota’s canvassers work in groups, and a team lead is always in the neighborhood if someone needs help. The group also has a system that tracks all of its workers out in the field.
“We do always have their locations on hand in case we see somebody not moving for a while. ... We don't want the worst-case scenario, but we check in on them wherever we can,” Tarazon said.
The organization’s canvassers talk with voters about their concerns, answer their questions and encourage them to vote.
"The work that we do is giving access to democracy to the Latino community,” Sánchez said. “It’s going door to door, being at the panaderias, just being in the spaces where our community is, and making sure they have all the tools that they need to have access to democracy.”
He said the group is also seeing misinformation in Spanish designed to disenfranchise Latino voters, such as telling people to vote the day after Election Day.
“But we're here,” Sánchez said. “We're strong. We keep getting stronger, and we're not going to be intimidated.”
And Tarazon said that while the voters he talks to may air frustrations with politics, most encounters are positive.
“But most people are actually really friendly,” he said. “I think we're a lot more united than people realize.”
