Univision’s vision: Register 3M Latino voters for elections

Last summer, Univision went to war with Donald Trump after he called Mexicans drug dealers and rapists — a move typical of the network that views itself not just as a media company but as an advocate and defender of the Latino community.

Now Univision is launching a major voter registration and engagement campaign aimed at turning out 3 million new Latino voters ahead of this year’s presidential election.

The network published an online voter guide Tuesday and is partnering with several organizations to register eligible Latinos — a population that has grown 40 percent in the past eight years alone. Univision will broadcast public service announcements across its 127 local television and radio stations about the importance of voting and is enlisting one of its young stars to tell his own story about becoming a voter. A spokeswoman for the network said Univision’s campaign news team will be bigger than for any previous election, with 36 reporters and producers already assigned to campaign coverage.

Critics of the network questioned whether the ambitious effort would be nonpartisan, given the tussle with Trump and the fact that Latino voters tend to favor Democratic candidates. But star anchor Jorge Ramos defended it, saying Republicans had only themselves to blame if the network’s emphasis on immigration news reflects poorly on the GOP.

“The Republican Party has had an incredible opportunity to reach Latino voters, and they failed,” Ramos said in an interview. “You cannot say, ‘Vote for me, but I want to deport your mother or your brother.’ ”

After Trump disparaged Mexican immigrants in his presidential campaign announcement in June, Univision officials announced they were cutting all business ties with him and would not air his Miss Universe competition.

Trump sued, and the parties settled their lawsuit this month.