A campaign out of Texas wants to take a coming-of-age tradition and harness it into political power. Jolt Initiative’s Poder Quince/Quince Power effort seeks to turn quinceañeras, traditional celebrations marking a young Latina’s 15th birthday, into a voter registration event where new voters can be reached. “Second to churches, this is the best way to reach Latinos,” said Jolt Initiative’s Cristina Tzintzún Ramírez. “Nothing congregates or builds communities in Latino culture like quinceañeras.”
Quinceañeras are typically marked by a mass followed by a celebration with food, music, and intricate, choreographed dances featuring the quinceañera herself and her “court.” Some celebrations can fit in a medium hall, but others are attended by hundreds of guests, and while the quinceañera is too young to vote, many of her guests, Jolt Initiative believes, will not be. The group estimates that as many as 50,000 quinces are held in Texas alone every single year.
“The Texas electorate in 2020 will be the youngest and most Latino pool of voters ever,” the group told NBC News. “Half of the young people turning 18 now are Hispanic and 95 percent of young Latinos in the state are U.S. citizens—meaning they have the right to vote.” The group has also previously released research showing Texas Latinas “are taking the lead on crucial efforts to turn out the Latino vote … generally, Latina women have higher rates of voter registration than their male Latino counterparts.”
In one example of their civic activism, in 2017 over a dozen young Latinas protested Texas’ racist “Show me your papers” law in a quinceañera-themed demonstration. “I am undocumented, and SB4 is a law that is racist and that has a lot of people scared,” Daniela Rojas, one of the quinceañeras, told the Daily Dot. “It’s important for the community to fight back. It’s important for us to show our cultural heritage and be proud of it.”
From Dreamers fighting for permanent protections for their families to the Parkland youth fighting for their lives, we know that young people are passionate for change, but it also doesn’t hurt that there are some fun incentives for the quinceañeras who sign up to take part in the campaign: “Girls who sign up to participate will get a free photo booth at their event, Snapchat filters tailored for their venue, and for one winner—a celebrity appearance.”
Jolt is planning to attend as many as 15 quinces a week to reach thousands of new voters in the first months of the campaign. “When we use the power of Latino culture,” Tzintzún Ramírez continued, “we can shape the narrative, reach millions of Latinos and build long-term voting power to win our community, the dignity and respect we deserve.”