Norton to Host Hispanic Heritage Month Roundtable on the Impact of Hispanic Americans on Elections, Tonight

WASHINGTON, D.C.—To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will host a roundtable with local officials and community leaders to discuss the rise of Hispanic Americans and the Hispanic vote across the nation and in the District of Columbia tonight, Tuesday, October 13, 2015, at Carlos Rosario International Public School Sonia Gutierrez Campus (514 V Street NE) from 7:45 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. The roundtable discussion is open to the public and press. In 2016, Hispanics and Latinos will comprise 13% of eligible U.S. voters and nearly 11% of D.C.'s population. The roundtable will focus on how the Senate responded to the Hispanic vote with an immigration bill following the 2012 presidential election.

Featured panelists include Franklin Garcia, Shadow U.S. Representative for the District of Columbia; Gloria Williams Brevard, a community relations officer for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS); Ximena Hartsock, co-founder and President of Phone 2 Action, a social media group focused on civic engagement; and Kristian Ramos, a Communications and Outreach Manager at Media Matters.

"Hispanic Americans are an increasingly important power force in American life," Norton said. "We in the District are proud of our thriving Hispanic population that continues to grow each year. This Hispanic Heritage Month, we want to understand the reasons for the increasing importance of Hispanics and its relationship to issues such as immigration, voting power, and other factors that have shown Hispanics to be a new force in American life."