A new ad urging Hispanic voters to boycott the mid-term elections has been received with ire in the Hispanic community.
The ad, sponsored by Latino’s For Reform, says: "Don't vote this November. This is the only way to send them a clear message: you can no longer take us for granted.
The ad has enraged many Hispanic groups and received condemnation from the Spanish Univision television network. The ad runs in Las Vegas, and is particularly targeted at Harry Reid, who is the Democrat Senate Majority Leader. Analysts have said Reid will need a large Hispanic turnout if he is to win over Republican rival Sharron Angle.
Robert Deposada from the Latino’s For Reform group said that "They're obviously angry at Republican rhetoric, which in many cases has been completely irresponsible. On the other hand, they're very angry the Democratic Party has been promising for years they're going to act on this issue, and they haven't.” He further commented that there was little option left but to abstain from the vote in protest.
Reid’s camp say the ad has totally missed the mark. Democrat Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez added that "They should take it off. It's a lie.” Other groups are angered at the message which promotes civic disengagement, saying that simply not participating will not make the problems go away.
A Univision network spokesperson said of the network “[Univision] "prides itself on promoting civic engagement and our extensive national campaigns encourage Hispanics to vote."
