- On October 21, 2010 an article was published regarding a new attack ad in Nevada's Senate race. The attack ad is one from the group Latinos for Reform, the ad essentially tells Latino voters not to vote. According to Peter Overby, "it accuses both parties of neglecting Latinos- but it dwells on Democrats. It says Democratic leaders including Harry Reid are taking Hispanic voters for granted. It says not voting is the only way to get Democrats to take them seriously" (2010).
The ad producer, Robert Deposada insists that the ad is not telling Latinos to sit out of elections, but rather to "boycott politicians who haven't lived up to their promises" (2010). Instead of the ad ending with this statement, 'Don't vote for those who betrayed you', it ended with 'Don't vote' because of time constraints. According to the director of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Brent Wilkes, Deposada's argument does not hold. He argued that, "It's just not believable. I mean, the whole ad is about 'don't vote, stay home.' It's not only the words but the pictures they show" (2010).
I think that the 'Don't vote' ad is counteractive in getting the Latino voice heard. According to Leo Chavez, one feature of citizenship is being able to act within the political realm (2008, pp.13). If Latinos decide against voting, how can they truly expect their voices to be heard when they are neglecting one of their most essential rights of being a citizen. Brent Wilkes of LULAC also points out that Republicans and Democrats are not very likely to "pay much attention to Latinos if they're not voting" (2010). Overall, it seems that the group, Latinos for Reform failed to assess how negatively such an ad could impact their very cause- if Latinos fail to participate in the elections their voices could be easily overpowered by those that choose to vote.
I think that the 'Don't vote' ad is counteractive in getting the Latino voice heard. According to Leo Chavez, one feature of citizenship is being able to act within the political realm (2008, pp.13). If Latinos decide against voting, how can they truly expect their voices to be heard when they are neglecting one of their most essential rights of being a citizen. Brent Wilkes of LULAC also points out that Republicans and Democrats are not very likely to "pay much attention to Latinos if they're not voting" (2010). Overall, it seems that the group, Latinos for Reform failed to assess how negatively such an ad could impact their very cause- if Latinos fail to participate in the elections their voices could be easily overpowered by those that choose to vote.
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