In the last month, two friends of mine became citizens. One waited almost 25 years to take this important step, this way the fact is that it does not surprise that the first thing that did after taking an oath was to register to vote and to extract his passport. Seriously, all that in the same day.
My two friends will vote for the first time on November 4, although they will end up by annulling his vote since each one supports a different candidate. Nevertheless, they are very conscious of that for the first time since they live in this country, they will be able to have voice and vote to decide who will take the reins of this one his new adopted country. And they are taking this responsibility very seriously.
Like them, there are hundreds of thousands of naturalized citizens and other inexperienced voters who are much explained by the presidential election of this year. And there are, literally, hundreds of organizations about the country that they are trying to inscribe to those that still have not done it, and as soon as possible. And the fact is that although it is still missing one month for the elections, the deadline to register is to the return of the corner. And if the voters do not realize soon, they are going to remain out of the political game.
The five states first in closing the voters' record on October 4 are Alaska, Mississippi, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Washington. October 6 is the closing record in 18 states, including several much disputed like Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. For New York, it is October 10, and for California 20. There are only 6 states in the country where the voters can register until the day of the elections.
In addition to the extreme dates to register, the voters have to know about other obstacles that they can face in the process of exercising his right to vote, especially because the laws change of the state in the state. If they have changed of house or changed the name is possible that they have to turn to register or update his information. University students who study out of his state must quarrel if they can vote by mail or if they can register with the direction of his school. There are rumors of which they glide to use lists of the people who is losing his houses for not being able to pay his mortgage to prevent these persons from registering to vote. Of be confirming, someone would have to brake this unscrupulous action.
Between the Latin Americans have intensified the efforts to register new voters. For the time being there are 10 million Latin Americans registered to vote and the goal is to register to another two millions. The potential certainly is present since there are 17 million Hispanics in the eligible United States to vote.
If the primary elections are a sample of for what we can wait, we would see a historical record of electoral participation. In Arizona the participation of Hispanic voters increased 105 per cent from 2004 to 2008; in California the increase was 182 per cent; in the 227 per cent Florida; and in Texas the Hispanics' participation in the primary democrat rose of 184.990 in 2004 to 954.492 four years later, this is a 416 per cent increase.
This election one of the most important is turning out to be of the modern history. With so much in game, the eyes of the world are on our country. Every person who is suitable to vote, should do it. It is not possible to be allowed that either the apathy or the absence of information turns into obstacle to expire with his civic responsibility of voting.

(c) 2008 by Maria Helen Salinas.