POUGHKEEPSIE – An advocacy group in the Hudson Valley and Catskills Thursday launched a push to register more Latinos in the region for the November general election.

Somos la Llave del Futuro rolled out a campaign in Poughkeepsie telling residents their votes count.

Although the Latino population is growing nationwide, with a 37 percent increase over the last six years in Dutchess County alone, there has not been a proportional increase in Latino voters, said group leader Carlos Orellana.

“Usually most of the Latino Hispanics do not feel that they are important to participate and they don’t really get interested in doing it,” he said. “As time goes by, we have realized that our participation is very important and we have to make an effort to get people out there to register and vote.”

Somos la Llava del Futuro believes that Latinos in the region must “stop just being a silent figure, and raise a strong voice in policy making.”