Texas Border Business
By Roberto Hugo González
EDINBURG, Texas — The Advocacy Alliance Center of Texas NOW, Inc., launched its Rally the Vote campaign during a luncheon that brought together community representatives from the Rio Grande Valley.
The event was held on National Voter Registration Day and included participants from Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy counties. Organizers described Rally the Vote as a nonpartisan effort focused on voter registration, election information and participation in the voting process.
AACT Now Executive Director Norma Flores Ruiz said the initiative is intended to convert community involvement into voter participation.
“Rally the Vote is the 2026 initiative to turn more of the Valley’s existing community engagement into actual voter participation,” Flores Ruiz said. “We want to create a coordinated effort across the Rio Grande Valley rather than having organizations work alone.”
AACT Now reported that turnout across the four-county region was 48.5% in 2024. Flores Ruiz said the organization is seeking to move turnout toward 55% to 60%.
“If we want to know whether our work is making a difference, these are the numbers we must move,” she said.
The campaign relies on partnerships with organizations that already communicate with employees, patients, students, customers and families. Participating organizations can identify ambassadors, distribute voter information, conduct employee outreach and connect AACT Now with other groups.
Flores Ruiz said AACT Now does not plan to contact every voter directly. Instead, the organization intends to provide trusted institutions and representatives with tools they can use through their existing relationships.
“Partners create ambassadors, ambassadors create conversations, and conversations create participation,” she said.
The campaign also introduced Touch 10, an outreach program asking each participant to contact 10 people. Actions include sharing registration information, encouraging voters to make a plan, providing early-voting information, and following up before voting begins.
Julian Alvarez, executive vice president and director of community relations at Lone Star National Bank, told attendees that the meeting was about more than voter registration.
“It’s about participating and us as a region being heard,” Alvarez said.
AACT Now also asked media companies and advertisers to support the campaign by providing placements, broadcast airtime, print space, social media distribution or outdoor advertising for public service announcements.
The organization said it does not advocate for or against candidates, political parties or ballot measures.
“We are a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization,” Alonzo Cantu said. “Our goal is simply to encourage as many people as possible to become involved in the civic process and exercise their right to vote.”
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