LAS VEGAS -- Latinos and minorities have been targeted by the campaigns more than ever for Tuesday's general election.
The president of the largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the country is in Las Vegas to get more Latinos to the polls.
Volunteers at Mi Familia Vota have been on the phones all day, mapping out neighborhoods that need to be visited, and trying to coordinate rides for those who might need one to get to the polls. Their focus is on Latino voters, but said anyone they can help get to the polls is just as important.
Walls inside the Mi Familia Vota offices are plastered with maps and last minute plans to get Latino voters and voters overall to the polls.
"Both candidates have realized how important this vote is," said Marisol Montoya of Mi Familia Vota. "Up and down the ticket and it shows."
During the last presidential election in Clark County, 102,000 Latinos were registered to vote. This year, more than 120,000 are registered.
"I think Latinos are going to make our voice heard and we are going to make a difference," Montoya said. "Minorities as a whole -- we are here and need to be respected and we are showing respect for ourselves by showing up and voting."
Getting Latinos to the polls is what has La Raza President Janet Murguia in Las Vegas the day before the election.
"We see Nevada as one of the key states that will determine this election and we see the Latino vote as crucial to that outcome," Murguia said. "So for us, as goes Nevada could be, as goes for the country."
La Raza is nonpartisan and never endorses candidates. Murguia said Tuesday's election will be one of historic value when it comes to Latino voters.
"The margin of victory will be determined by the Hispanic voting block," she said. "We are certain there will be a record number of Hispanics turning out."
In the last 10 years, the Latino population has exploded. In Nevada, the Hispanic population represented half of the state's population growth.
"Latinos will determine who becomes president," Murguia said.
