GRAND ISLAND, Neb.— Laura Gamboa-Urrego is going door to door hoping to get latinos involved in the voting process. 

Gamboa-Urrego works as a community organizer at the YWCA in Grand Island. She's in charge of Civic Engagement, a project that aims to get latinos register to vote.  

“Sometimes we always say like oh why is the government? Why are we doing this? Why are we doing that?," Gamboa-Urrego said. "And then we kinda like kind of just let things happen and one of the ways we can prevent that is by going out to vote." 

In the 2022 general election, only 46% of registered voters in Hall County actually voted, one of the lowest rates in the state. Hall County is among the six Nebraska counties with the greatest percentage of its population claiming latino heritage. Those six counties are all among the eight counties with the lowest voter turnout.

UNL Associate Political Science Professor Dr. Sergio Wals has been researching first-generation Mexican immigrants. 

“It’s time to stop neglecting that we are here, that we are contributors good contributors to this society. It’s also time for our community to understand that our voice have value," said Wals."

According to a Civic Nebraska study of 2022 election data, for every 10% increase in households identifying as Hispanic or latino, there’s a 6% decrease in voter turnout.  

Wals said the low turnout rate isn’t due to race and culture.

“The turnout rates among latinos are fairly similar to the overall population, of course in the open they look lower because also on average latinos are less educated and have less income than the average population in general. So, that’s some of the factors that explain that," said Wals. "Now of course time, time is of the essence Latino are hard-working people.”

Drawing latinos to the ballot box is more relevant than ever.

The Pew Research Center says latinos account for nearly 15% of all eligible voters.

Those numbers continue to grow in Nebraska. Wals estimates the state’s latino population will triple by 2050.  

“More and more competitive elections are defined by just a 1000 votes, a few thousands votes.  So you also don’t need a huge Latino population in a given state to know that if they were to vote majoritarily one way or another they have the capacity to sway a very contested election," said Wals. "So, in the sense that message carries two lessons, one politicians out  there please pay attention, it’s an important community for our state. To the community out there remember this is your home, your voice matters, you have value .”

That’s the message Gamboa- Urregos’ is passing along as she goes door to door.

Her goal is to increase number of minorities, not just latinos, who register to vote. She’s also giving free voter education classes.

“Get involved civically," said Gamboa-Urrego. "As a community we’re most likely to vote for someone that represent our views. If no one’s ever representing our views, you can go off and be that individual.”