The two major Spanish-language television networks in the U.S. launched competing voter registration/moblization efforts. Competition can be great, and I hope there is a giant race to register Hispanic voters because it would be good for the Hispanic community and good for the country.

These TV networks reach millions of people each day. I've seen how one mention of an important issue and a phone number during their programming can convert to hundreds, possibly thousands of direct actions. So if they put lots of time, energy and money into the programs they'll be very helpful.

Last month, Telemundo and mun2 launched "Vota Por Tu Futuro" along with Rock the Vote, People for the American Way's DemocraciaUSA, League of Unitd Latin American Citizens (LULAC), and the U.S. Hispanic Leaderhip Institute (USHLI) at a press conference staged at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.

And today, Univision Communications Inc. and partners announced their own coalition effort -- Ya es Hora, ¡Ve y Vota! (It’s Time, Go Vote!) -- at a press conference at the National Press Club (sound familiar?). The other coalition partners so far are Entravision Communications, ImpreMedia, Mi Familia Vota Educational Fund, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund, as well as the National Council of La Raza (NCLR).

They're billing it as the "a non-partisan national voter mobilization effort targeting U.S. Hispanics" seeking "to significantly increase Latino voter registration and turnout in the 2008 presidential elections through an unprecedented multi-media campaign that encompasses grassroots, print and broadcast outreach."

La Politica has done a terrific job of quickly reporting these announcements so they can reach a broader audience.