Mi Familia Vota says canvassers face growing harassment

PHOENIX — A nonprofit organization that works to mobilize Latino voters says its canvassers are facing more intimidation than in past elections.

Mi Familia Vota goes door-to-door in Arizona and nine other states, and the group’s CEO said its employees have been victims of verbal and physical attacks and other harassment.

“We saw people trying to exclude us from the process,” said CEO Héctor Sánchez Barba. “Film our canvassers. There have been a few cases of physical attacks, etc.

He blames the rhetoric of the anti-immigration campaign.

“It’s a clear intention to scare us,” Sánchez said. “Make us feel like we don’t belong here.” Make us feel that democracy is not for us.

None of the group’s employees in Arizona were attacked, although some investigators reported encountering armed people opening the door.

“Extreme situations are quite rare,” said Fernando Tarazon, head canvasser for Mi Familia Vota. “As far as being bullied at the door and, you know, having a door slammed, that’s not too uncommon.”

But the group’s workers were harassed in other ways. Tarazon said canvassers are sometimes followed.

“It’s a big problem, that’s why we’re trying to get them out of this situation,” he said.

Mi Familia Vota has implemented safety measures and trains its workers to deal with difficult situations.

“First and foremost, stay calm,” Tarzaon said. “Remain respectful.”

Canvassers are also trained to step aside if things get too tense.

“If it gets to an extreme level, then you know, thank them for the time and walk away from it,” Tarazon said.

Mi Familia Vota canvassers work in groups and a team leader is always in the neighborhood if anyone needs help. The group also has a monitoring system for all its employees in the field.

“We always have their locations on hand in case we see someone not moving for a while. … We don’t want the worst, but we monitor them wherever we can,” Tarazon said.

The organization’s canvassers talk to voters about their concerns, answer their questions and encourage them to vote.

“The work we do is about providing access to democracy to the Latino community,” Sánchez said. “It’s going door to door, being in the panaderias, just being in the spaces where our community is and making sure that they have all the tools they need. that they need to have access to democracy .

He said the group also sees disinformation in Spanish aimed at disenfranchising Latino voters, such as telling people to vote the day after Election Day.

“But we are here,” Sánchez said. “We are strong. We continue to get stronger and we are not going to be intimidated.

And Tarazon said that while the voters he speaks with may express their frustrations with politics, most encounters are positive.

“But most people are actually very friendly,” he said. “I think we are a lot more united than people think.”