Media giant Univision is aiming to register 3 million new Latino voters with an initiative that'll include ads on its top-rated Spanish-language network, radio stations, and sports channel,
the New York Times reports.
About 11 million Hispanics voted in the 2012 presidential election; the new initiative is targeting an estimated 27 million Hispanics who are eligible to vote, the Times reports.
"The rule is no one can make it to the White House without the Hispanic vote," Jorge Ramos, the network's news anchor, tells the Times. "That's why Latino registration is incredibly important. Just a few votes in Nevada, Florida and Colorado could make or break any candidate."
The high-profile anchor has publicly feuded with GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump — and was
escorted out of one of his campaign rallies.
"The real challenge is to convince Latinos to go out and vote, and what is really interesting is that maybe Donald Trump is doing that," Ramos tells the Times. "Young voters, especially those who are turning 18 and are young, they are telling me that they are getting involved because of Donald Trump. Not because they like Donald Trump, but because they want to vote against him."
"In the past, we were described as the sleeping giant," Ramos adds. "But the giant has awakened. Now we have to show that power."
Besides the advertisements on television and radio stations, the effort will use telenovela star William Valdés talking about becoming a citizen and registering to vote in a video and on social media, voter drives near stadiums hosting the Copa América soccer tournament, and public-service announcements during broadcasts of the matches, the Times reports.