The goal of Unidos, a new smartphone app, is to encourage Latinos to vote. (ca.gov)

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Immigrants have a lot at stake in this year's presidential campaign, and a new smartphone app aims to help get out the vote on Election Day.



Voter turnout will be critical this year, but historically, fewer Latino voters, especially Latino youth, have gone to the polls than other groups.



John Rudolph, executive producer of Feet in 2 Worlds, wants this new app to make a difference.



"The Unidos app is designed to engage young Latinos, to give them information that they need to register, vote and become informed voters," he points out.



The free app was released this week for iPhones.



Latinos are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population. But Rudolph says a recent Washington Post/ABC News poll shows that differences in voter turnout are significant.



"Forty-four percent of Hispanics said they were likely to vote in the November election, which compares to 70 percent of whites who say that they're going to vote," he points out.



That difference could be enough to sway the election results in many districts.



The difficulty in engaging young voters is nothing new, and there are other efforts underway to try to motivate them.



Rudolph says the Unidos app uses a mix of news and useful information, combined with sharable content, such as emojis in Spanish and English.



"So, we're hoping that by using the language of smartphones, that we'll be able to engage an audience that a lot of people have been scratching their heads over how to reach for many years," he stresses.



Rudolph points out that the vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court, and that court's recent immigration ruling, is just one example of the importance this election will have for the Latino community.





