The Republican National Committee is creating a program to help immigrants prepare for their naturalization tests, marking the party’s latest effort to expand its influence on minority groups before the midterm elections.
Under the newly announced Republican Civics Initiative, members of the RNC will hold 10-hour training courses in which immigrants can learn U.S. history and politics featured in the civics portion of the U.S. naturalization test. The program is meant to increase support among minority groups, particularly Hispanic voters in battleground states that may determine which party will gain control of Congress in November.
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“The RNC is growing our Party through purposeful education and engagement,” RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement. “Our commitment to provide opportunities for all to live out the American dream is broadening our base because our ideas transcend all backgrounds. Unlike Democrats, Republicans do not take minority communities for granted and we will continue to work to earn each vote ahead of November.”
The training materials used in the sessions are adapted from curricula provided by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and will be taught by RNC staff who are certified instructors. The program will begin with trainings at the RNC Hispanic Community Center in Doral, Florida, on Thursday, with future sessions to be held in crucial battleground states such as Texas, Georgia, Nevada, California, and Pennsylvania.
The program comes at a crucial time for Republican and Democratic candidates, as both parties seek to make gains with Hispanic voters ahead of the midterm elections. Although Democrats have historically benefited from the crucial voting bloc, their numbers have dwindled as Latino voters shifted to the Right in recent elections.
Latino voters moved toward Republican candidates in the 2020 election, shocking Democrats who are now seeking to maintain control of Congress. Hispanic voters swung toward former President Donald Trump by 8 points in the two-way vote share between the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, according to Democratic data firm Catalist. Although President Joe Biden was elected with a majority of Latino voters backing him, his support has waned as inflation rises.
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Democrats have since ramped up their spending on advertisements targeting Latino voters, announcing a seven-figure investment to launch radio and print ads in both English and Spanish throughout Latino-rich states that are shaping up to be crucial battlegrounds in November. However, the party has been accused of being slow to pour resources into quickly naturalizing immigrants to become eligible to vote.
There are more than 9.2 million lawful permanent residents in the United States who are eligible to become citizens and vote but have not been able to do so as of January 2021, according to the RNC.
