In Solidarity,
Gustavo Torres
President, CASA in Action
2024 Post Election Report
A Letter from the Executive Director
In 2024, CASA continued its essential mission of giving Black, brown, working-class, and immigrant communities back their power. This power they were always entitled to includes the right to express their values, their views, and their sense of justice on their ballot. Through CASA’s non-partisan voter engagement operations this year, we have achieved several worthwhile accomplishments. We have gotten community voters registered to vote–some of whom had never registered to vote before. We spoke to thousands of voters about the issues that they care the most about, and connected those issues to the importance of voting. We have pushed for as many voters to vote by mail or early-in-person as possible–thus minimizing election day incidents that might derail the casting of their ballot. And finally, we made sure that sensitive polling places in Pennsylvania and Georgia were covered by CASA staff and volunteers functioning as Voting Guardians.
In York and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, this poll monitoring work included ensuring that polling places were following countywide Spanish language access standards. Two years ago, CASA and our partners won a mighty victory by winning those counties’ Election Boards commitment to such language access. This year, CASA was able to ensure that voters in those jurisdictions were, in fact, able to cast their ballot in Spanish. The importance of this for opening up the ballot for CASA communities cannot be overstated.
In sum, CASA reached out to tens of thousands of voters in a non-partisan fashion this year to ensure that CASA communities were informed and empowered about their right to vote. Making sure CASA community members confidently express their rights by casting a ballot–whether by mail, early, or in-person on Election Day–is a key element to how CASA builds power and fights for respect for the communities we represent.
In solidarity,
Gustavo Torres
OUR CAMPAIGN BY THE NUMBERS
7,338
voters registered
14,176
VOTER CONVERSATIONS
92,114
DOORS KNOCKS
2,770,648
digital impressions
Pennsylvania Voter Registration
Another Pennsylvanian registered to vote by a CASA canvasser
CASA’s Non-Partisan Voter Registration (VR) Program was established with the goal of registering 6,330 Pennsylvania voters for the upcoming General Elections. Through these efforts, the program aimed to put the power of the ballot box more securely in community hands. CASA’s VR Program team carried out this work in Lancaster, Dauphin, and York counties.
This campaign was conducted through site-based polling, with the CASA team strategically choosing locations such as Latin grocery stores, bodegas, Spanish restaurants, medical clinics, gas stations, and shopping plazas in Spanish-speaking neighborhoods to effectively reach and engage with the Hispanic community. These places were selected due to their high foot traffic, ensuring maximum visibility and interaction with potential voters. Latin grocery stores, bodegas, and Spanish restaurants serve as cultural and social hubs where community members gather, making them ideal for disseminating information and conducting voter registration drives. Additionally, these venues are trusted and familiar places within the community, where people feel comfortable and welcome, increasing the likelihood of engagement.
By focusing on locations within Spanish-speaking neighborhoods, the program ensures targeted outreach, maximizing the effectiveness of voter registration efforts. Medical clinics and gas stations provide essential services that people visit regularly, making it convenient for them to receive voter registration information and support while attending to their daily needs. Moreover, these locations are more likely to have staff and patrons who speak Spanish, minimizing language barriers and ensuring culturally relevant outreach.
The ground team has had powerful conversations within the communities CASA works. As one canvass put it: “Most people I talk to are really excited because it will be the first presidential election they have the opportunity to vote in and are happy to learn, in some cases, they can vote in Spanish.”
7,220 registrations collected
Through the depth of experience and cultural competence of our team, the program overshot its target with 7,220 registrations finally collected or updated during the General Election campaign period. This is in addition to the 621 registrations collected during a much smaller campaign earlier in the year during the Primary Election season.
Pennsylvania GOTV & Puerto Rican Voter Outreach
A CASA canvassers with a Harrisburg, PA voter
CASA’s Pennsylvania Get Out the Vote (GOTV) program began on October 22nd with a goal of knocking on 32,000 doors to encourage early voting. Focusing on Lancaster, York, Dauphin, and Cumberland, areas with significant working-class immigrant populations and communities of color, which typically vote at lower rates than other groups.Starting with the launch of the campaign the day after the PA registration deadline, CASA canvassers knocked on the 32,912 doors of 43,094 voters, surpassing our goal by almost a thousand. This led to conversations with 4,633 voters, yielding a contact rate of 11%. When asked about primary political concerns, 3,862 potential voters identified their priorities: 939 prioritized education, 1,518 focused on community safety, and 1,405 highlighted economic justice. CASA’s efforts also successfully boosted interest in membership, with 438 people declaring interest in becoming CASA members.
32,912
The number of doors CASA canvassers knocked on
4,633
meaningful conversations with voters
In the lead up to the GOTV period, CASA engaged in a special door-knocking campaign to reach Puerto Rican voters. In 2017, Hurricane Maria incentivized a fair number of Puerto Rican voters to leave the island and eventually settle in CASA’s turf in Pennsylvania. In 2022, CASA won significant victories for Spanish language access on the ballot in Lancaster and York Counties, which continued to pay off for CASA community voters in the 2024 election by opening up voting access to those who are more comfortable with Spanish than with English. This victory was made possible by CASA’s work bringing a clause of the 1964 Voting Rights Act to greater attention, which connects language access to Puerto Rican voters wherever in the United States they happen to live. During the door-based program to inform Puerto Rican voters in Pennsylvania on their constitutional and statutory rights, CASA canvassers knocked on 61,110 voters’ doors, leading to 6,672 meaningful conversations with voters.
61,110
The number of doors CASA canvassers knocked on
6,672
Conversations with potential voters
CASA staff preparing to head out to the polls on election day as Voter Guardians for the community
Virginia Voter Outreach
A CASA canvasser speaks to several voters at once
This year, CASA knocked on 22,824 voters’ doors in Virginia, far surpassing our initial goal of 10,000. CASA’s team of expert canvassers had 2,323 conversations with potential voters about the importance of casting their ballot, providing assistance in doing so, and hearing what voters thought about the issues.
When asked about their primary political concerns, 45% emphasized livable wages, 40% focused on health care, and about 15% highlighted affordable housing.
22,824
Doors CASA team knocked on in the Virginia outreach
2,323
Conversations with potential voters
Primary Political Concerns
45%
emphasized livable wages
40%
focused on health care
15%
highlightedaffordable housing
