Haitian American Leaders Encourage Voter Participation

Elected officials and advocates call for voter action as families face immigration uncertainty and rising living costs

PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. — Haitian American elected officials and community leaders rallied voters Tuesday, urging Floridians to verify their registration by the Oct. 5 deadline and make a plan to cast ballots in the Nov. 3 election.

At the gathering at Kasa Champet, speakers tied voter participation to calls for action on Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, family unity and the rising cost of housing, insurance and groceries.

Participants included state Reps. Marie Woodson and Wallace Aristide, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Marleine Bastien, North Miami Mayor Alix Desulme and Aude M.L. Sicard, recording secretary of the Broward Democratic Executive Committee. They also promoted early voting and voting by mail.

Woodson, the Florida Democratic Party’s vice chair for Haitian American voter engagement, called on U.S. senators to support Senate Bill 4814, which she said would extend Temporary Protected Status for Haitians through April 2029.

“Behind every policy is a person — a mother, a father, a child, a worker, a neighbor,” Woodson said. “When one of us is threatened, we all hurt. This moment demands more than concern; it demands action.”

Haitian Immigrants

Aristide said Haitian immigrants came to build better futures for their families and contribute to the country.

“We see what’s happening in Haiti,” he said. “We cannot send people to get their lives taken. We cannot put people in desperate situations.”

Bastien urged residents facing fixed incomes, long commutes and rising rents to channel their frustration into turnout. “Not voting is not the answer,” she said. “Voting still remains one of the most powerful uses of your voices in our society.”

Desulme said local officials are confronting the effects of affordability, immigration, transportation and housing policy. “Everything is on the ballot this November,” he said. “Not voting is not an option.”

Sicard framed the election as a response to economic inequality. “From the ballot box to the bargaining table, now is the time to fight to end the war on working people,” she said.

Floridians can check their registration status or register at www.floridadems.org/vote or through their county supervisor of elections office. The registration deadline for the Nov. 3 general election is Monday, Oct. 5.

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Vote Attorney Tamar Hamilton Broward County Circuit Court Judge

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