Walter Mercado ‘speaks’ to Hispanic voters in astral registration push

No matter how the stars align themselves on November 3, the late Walter Mercado has the same horoscope for every sign under the Zodiac calendar leading up to the presidential election: You must register to vote.

In a final (and astral) push to boost Latino voter registration, WhatsApp launched a digital ad campaign this week in partnership with Mercado’s family, in which the iconic Puerto Rican astrologer asks people to register to vote ... con mucho, mucho amor. The deadline to register to vote in Florida is October 5.

“Walter lived a life of love and unity,” his family said in a Facebook post Monday. “Now it’s your turn to make your vote count with Mucho, Mucho, Amor.”

The social media platform is appealing to its large Latino user base with other planned content featuring Mercado, who died in November 2019. To help people register, the company is also partnering with Vote.org’s voter resource bot, an automated registration tool that eligible voters can use on WhatsApp to register to vote, request a mail ballot, find nearby polls and know your rights as a voter.

“For many in the Latinx community, their voices are unheard and their future uncertain. Together, we can help members of this community realize their power to change the future of education, health care, economy and beyond,” Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey said in a statement.

Mercado, who at his peak had a daily audience of about 120 million viewers, continues to be a ubiquitous presence among Latin Americans abroad and in the U.S. He solidified much of his fame in the U.S. through the program “Primer Impacto,” which aired in major Hispanic markets, including Miami.

Earlier this year, Netflix aired a widely watched documentary of his life, “Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado,” titled after the famous phrase he used to close every segment — lots and lots of love.

Though in his life he generally stuck to predictions and recommended New Year’s Eve rituals, he would also weigh in on current affairs in the U.S. and Latin America. In July 2016, Mercado predicted a Donald Trump presidency would bring “total destruction” of the world.

For more information on the Vote.org resource bot, log into WhatsApp and open the automated tool.