Dating App Chispa Partners with Voto Latino Ahead of Election
Contributed by: kellyseal on Wednesday, November 06 2024 @ 06:38 pm
Last modified on Wednesday, November 06 2024 @ 06:46 pm
Chispa, a dating app for Latino singles, has partnered with non-partisan organization Voto Latino[*1] to encourage more Latinos to go to the polls.
The dating app launched a co-branded election hub on its platform, offering users information on how to register to vote as well as early voting, mail-in voting, and candidate details according to the press release. Chispa said it created the hub to boost voter registration and participation in the Latino community and will in turn support Voto Latino with a contribution toward their voter drive efforts.
Eighty percent of Chispa users are between 18 and 34 years old, a prime demographic as both political parties target younger voters. Voto Latino provides information on registering to vote (which varies from state to state), as well as polling location information and early voting options.
In fact, more than 36 million Latino voters are eligible to vote this year, a significant portion of the overall voting population. Young Latinos make up 14.7 percent of eligible voters, so both Chispa and Voto Latino want to let them know their vote is critical, and to show up for the polls.
“It’s a huge opportunity to achieve a fair representation on the electorate,” said Julia Estacolchic, Chispa’s senior marketing director, to local San Antonio news station KSAT[*2] . “And 80% of our users are 18 to 34. So it’s really young and really focused on Gen Z.”
Voto Latino isn’t partisan, and its primary goal is sharing voting information so that young Latino voters are informed of how to register and what is required to vote.
“We understand our community is very diverse when it comes to their political views as well as race, as well as language, as well as roots,” Estacolchic told KSAT.
When Chispa surveyed its users about voting habits, only half of respondents said they voted in the 2020 election, and only 33 percent voted in 2022. About 54 percent plan to vote in the 2024 election, and 25 percent remain undecided. Fifty-two percent said they lack faith in the impact of their vote and say that’s a key reason for not voting.
The majority of Chispa respondents are most concerned with the cost of living (73 percent), followed by immigration reform (43 percent), wage equality and job availability (41 percent), healthcare access (36 percent), and gun violence prevention (23 percent), according to the press release[*3] .
As far as representation, only 20 percent of respondents said they felt well-represented, compared to 30 percent who felt they weren’t represented at all.
"At Chispa, we're dedicated to empowering our users to make a community impact," Estacolchic said in the release. "Partnering with Voto Latino boosts voter registration and engagement while connecting users through shared values. Together, we aim to inspire a significant turnout in the 2024 election."