Univision helping to boost the Hispanic vote

Hispanics have long been seen as a powerful voting force yet to materialize, but Univision officials believe they can change that by encouraging millions of eligible immigrants to become U.S. citizens – and then helping them with the process.

The company devotes significant air time to public service announcements, and since January it has been using its air to urge viewers to become citizens and to vote.

Of the 8 million legal permanent residents eligible to apply, the majority come from Latin American countries, according to federal immigration data. Immigrants must be legal residents for five years before applying for citizenship, a process that usually takes about six months and involves fees and civics and English tests.

The "Ya Es Hora" ("Now is the time") campaign was launched nationally in recent weeks after beginning with the station's local affiliate in Los Angeles in January. Now it's in a dozen cities with large Hispanic populations, including San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, Phoenix and Miami, and will soon launch in New York.

Throughout the day, dozens of public service announcements give details on application requirements, costs and where to go for help. They give reasons for becoming an American and warn viewers that the cost of the citizenship application is set to rise sharply at the end of July.

Univision reporters give pop quizzes from the citizenship exam asking viewers, for example, to name the three branches of government. On Fridays, the station broadcasts live from a citizenship drive location, where volunteers charge $25 to help with lengthy applications that can take an hour to complete.