After becoming two of Hollywood’s most vocal political activists during the 2020 presidential election, Eva Longoria and America Ferrera are reteaming ahead of the Georgia runoffs.
On Saturday, the actresses will hold a text banking event with nonprofit VoteRiders to educate Georgia voters on the state’s strict voter ID laws. Longoria and Ferrera’s newly launched digital lifestyle platform She Se Puede, covering fashion, health, culture and voting for the Latina community, will co-host, with the event aimed specifically at Latina voters.
“Not only are Latina voters some of the most likely people to not have valid photo ID, they also face insurmountable challenges in obtaining an ID,” Longoria said in a statement to THR. “Voter IDs are a critical issue in every election cycle, and we need to make sure Georgia voters are able to get to the polls and cast their ballots with as much confidence as they did in November.”
Adds Ferrera, “All elections have consequences for our community, and the outcome of the Georgia Senate runoffs will have great impact for Latinas in Georgia and throughout the country. It’s important that Latinas make their voices heard in this election. We know the power of voter education and awareness, so we’re joining VoteRiders to do our part in making sure Latina voters in Georgia have what they need to vote on Jan. 5.”
The two impeding Georgia races, which see Democrat Raphael Warnock facing off with incumbent Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Democrat Jon Ossoff against incumbent Republican Sen. David Perdue, will decide control of the Senate on Jan. 5. The tight races, triggered after no candidate surpassed the necessary 50 percent of the November vote in order to secure a seat, follow a monumental election year in Georgia, which saw the historically red state turn blue for the first time since 1992.
With so much riding on the state, at least 820,000 eligible voters in Georgia do not currently have the ID they need to vote. Voter ID laws have historically aimed to disenfranchise voters of color, voters in poverty, trans voters, disabled voters, and young and senior voters who do not have a driver’s license. Saturday’s event will text Georgia voters to inform them about the ID laws, and will feature a special appearance by actress Kate del Castillo.
“With early voting happening as we speak, nearly a million eligible Georgia voters still don’t have the ID they need to vote in this critical election,” says VoteRiders COO Shannon Anderson. “Hundreds of thousands more are so confused and overwhelmed by Georgia’s strict voter ID laws that they will be stopped short of the ballot box without our help — even though they do have the ID they need to vote. Together with She Se Puede, we are going to make sure that doesn’t happen by providing these voters with the information and resources they need to vote with confidence — and cast a ballot that counts.”
Since the November election, VoteRiders has worked with over 375 organizations on the ground to distribute VoterID Info Cards to over 20,000 eligible voters. It has coordinated over a dozen text banking and phone banking events with celebrities from all over the country, including with Amy Schumer and the cast of One Tree Hill, since Nov. 3 to educate and assist Georgia voters ahead of the runoffs, reaching tens of thousands of voters.
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