Latino organizations throughout the U.S. are encouraging those in their communities to register to vote during this year’s midterm elections. Three major registration drives are timed to take place during Hispanic Heritage Month.

Fifty Latino groups launched a voter registration campaign last week to increase voter turnout among Latinos during the 2014 midterm elections on November 4.

Coinciding with the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, the campaign—“#PowerOfOurVote”—is sponsoring three main voter registration drives. One took place September 15, the first day of the campaign, while two more are scheduled for September 23, National Voter Registration Day; and October 15, the last day of Hispanic Heritage Month.

“We are calling American Latinos to rise above our political differences and to unite as a community this November,” Maria Teresa Kumar, president and CEO of one of the organizing groups, Voto Latino, said in a statement. “For the next month, we will show that Latinos stand tall because we have pride in our culture, and we recognize the power of our vote.”

The campaign is aiming for record midterm-election voter turnout among Latinos this year. It’s expected that 7.8 million will vote in November, an increase from the 6.6 million who turned out for the last midterm elections in 2010, according to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, one of the campaign’s partner organizations. [About 11.2 million Latinos voted in the 2012 presidential election, according to Pew Research.]

Other partner organizations include the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Voto Latino, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility.

The groups are urging Latinos to vote and make their voices heard on issues such as the economy and, of particular importance to this population, immigration.

“Latinos understand that the only real way to impact our future is with a strong showing of our voting power,” Ben Monterroso, executive director of Mi Familia Vota Education Fund, said in a statement. “We began the immigration debate with our record turnout in the 2012 election, and we will continue fighting for our community and for immigration reform by voting.”

Voto Latino Chairwoman Rosario Dawson, right. Dawson's group is leading the voting efforts. (photo by Nathan Gibbs/Flickr)