El Paso group working to engage nonvoters

The two main political parties are prepared to officially name their presidential nominees in the next two weeks during the Republican and Democratic conventions.

Once Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, the respective GOP and Democrat nominees, are made official, the campaigns are expected to kick into high gear to drum up as much support as possible.

Meanwhile, one El Paso group is simply trying to get people to care enough to register to vote.

The organization Vote El Paso Vote 2016 was launched less than two months ago. Shortly after its creation, the organizers began targeting nonvoters during in an intensive 40-day registration and education campaign that ends on July 14.

“One thing we’ve noticed is that a lot of people aren’t really aware of how the voting process works,” said Vote El Paso Vote organizer Adriana Castorena. “Whether it’s lack of interest or lack of information … We’re trying to educate people on the voting process and encourage them to participate in elections.”

Members of the group set up a table at Music Under the Stars at the Chamizal National Memorial on Sunday night. Organizer Adriana Castorena told ABC-7 the group is not pushing a candidate or a party. She said the group chose to reach potential voters at the live music event because the Chamizal is in a voting precinct with historically low voter turnout.

Castorena said that’s how they’re reaching non-voters: finding where they live and stressing to them how voting affects everyday life.

“(We want to) make sure that people know that Nov. 8 is Election Day,” Castorena said. “A lot of people have busy schedules. It’s hard to keep up and think, ‘Oh, it’s Election Day.’ But we want to make it a thing where you as a citizen, you go out and you vote.”

Castorena said they’re having newly registered voters fill out a pledge card with important dates to remember like the start of early voting and Election Day. The group will mail the cards to those residents as Election Day, Nov. 8, approaches.

As of July 11, El Paso County has 413,721 registered voters. Last presidential election, only 46 percent of those registered actually cast a ballot.