Premieres Monday, Oct. 28, 2024 at 11 p.m. on KPBS TV / PBS app
The Lone Star state has seen explosive growth; today, over 30 million people call Texas home. The 2020 U.S. Census revealed that Latinos are now the majority demographic group in Texas with almost 12 million strong and growing. This growth is fueled in large part by young Latinos, with a quarter of a million Texans of color turning 18 each year. Now, as the election nears, both Democrats and Republicans are courting Latinos as never before, creating new strategies to reach a young electorate that no longer consumes traditional media.
“Our Texas, Our Vote” features candid interviews with several young leaders who are at the forefront of this unprecedented campaign to engage Latino voters and get them to the polls:
- Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez, leader of NextGen America, one of the nation’s largest youth voting organizations, and the creator of Poder Quince, which harnesses the power of the state’s young Latinas
- Republican Joel Castro of Alvin, Texas, the youngest city council member in the state
- 21-year-old Olivia Julianna, a progressive political activist and strategist who uses the power of social media to reach her peers
- Michelle Gamboa, a conservative city councilwoman from Longview, Texas
Also featured are journalist/anthropologist Cecilia Ballí, who studies the voting patterns of Latinos; author/journalist John Phillip Santos; border reporter Gaige Davila; and former Congressman Beto O’Rourke, founder of the grassroots voting mobilization campaign, Powered by People.
“Our Texas, Our Vote” reports from across the state, from border towns to big cities to the state’s capitol, meeting with people across the political spectrum. As with the rest of the nation, Texas Latinos are concerned with the economy, reproductive rights, gun violence, and immigration. A recurring theme is that “demographics are not destiny” – Latino voters are not a monolith, one message does not fit all, and neither party can afford to take their support for granted. What is certain is that Latino voters in Texas are poised to have more power at the ballot box than ever before.
Says Olivia Julianna, “More and more Latinos on the ballot. More and more Latinos getting out to vote. It’s happening and it’s exciting to see and they’re not running just because they’re Latino. They’re not running because, oh, we need more representation. They’re running to win and to make political change and that’s what’s exciting.”
Watch On Your Schedule: VOCES “Our Texas, Our Vote” will stream simultaneously with broadcast and be available on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS app, available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO.
About the Filmmaker: Hector Galán (Producer/Director) is one of the most prolific Latino documentary filmmakers working today. He has contributed over 40 hours of programming to major television outlets, including the PBS series FRONTLINE and AMERICAN EXPERIENCE. Galán theatrically released his feature documentary, "Los Lonely Boys: Cottonfields and Crossroads," in 2006. His other work includes "Ancient Roads from Christ to Constantine"; "Children of Giant," which explored the social issues behind George Stevens’ film "Giant; Porvenir, Texas," about the 1918 massacre of 15 Mexican men in a small Texas town; "Willie Velasquez: Your Vote is Your Voice"; and "The Big Squeeze."
