The election may be several months away, but this is not the year to stay home. There are few issues I care about more than promoting the vote, particularly among young American Latinos. I firmly believe that the quality of our future as the second largest population relies on our ability to mobilize today. This is what in 2004 compelled me to found Voto Latino, the country’s leading organization in registering and engaging young Latino voters.

I’m excited about rallying people to the polls next year. But the current political mood worries me. I know that for some of us it may be tempting to stay home on Nov. 6, 2012. Maybe you’re unemployed or uninsured. Maybe you lost your home to foreclosure or are drowning in student loans. Maybe you voted for the first time in 2008, but now think that it doesn’t matter who wins because things don’t change.

You might think it’s sending a strong message to withhold your vote. But staying home will only accomplish one thing: It will make you irrelevant. There’s no doubt that there are many issues out there that need to be fixed—and badly. Unemployment among Latinos is higher than the national average. More than 25 percent of our people live in poverty. People continue to be deported at record numbers. But that’s why Latinos need to get more involved, not less.

At times like these, we need to remember that elected officials respond to two things: money and votes. Now, most of us don’t have wads of cash to throw around, but we all have the power of the vote. The trip to your nearest precinct is only the beginning of your role in making our government responsive and effective.

Just like you wouldn’t tell your child to clean his or her room and expect it to be done without nagging, getting our elected officials to address our needs requires vigilance and accountability. And there’s an abundance of recent examples that show that when people act, change happens. Look at Arizona. Just one year ago, it looked lost to divisiveness and hate. But S.B. 1070 seems to have awakened Arizonans, and last November they booted Russell Pearce, the man who spearheaded passage of the controversial and strict immigration law, out of office.

We also need to remember that the election later this year will do more than decide who is going to live in the White House. Ballots will also include races for every level of government from school boards and city councils to state and federal representation. Funding for our children’s schools, state and local tax rates and other local laws that affect every one of us are often decided by the few people who do show up to vote.

It might seem early to start talking about an election that’s 10 months away, but now is the time to register to vote, and get your friends and family registered. And if you have moved since the last election, make sure to update your voter registration. At Voto Latino, our calendar for next year is full of events that celebrate our vote, that remind us that our power begins at the polls and gives our young leaders the tools they need to create positive change in their communities. We recently had an event in Texas where we registered about 5,000 high school seniors. Hearing stories about the students connecting issues that affect their lives to steps they can take to regain control over their future was empowering and reaffirming.

We all need to become involved. We can’t sit on our hands waiting for the change we want to see. Sí se puede, but only if we demand it.

Written by Rosario Dawson for Latina.com

Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
“Five” (Lifetime Movie Network)
“Hallmark Hall of Fame, Mitch Albom’s Have a Little Faith” (ABC)
“Luther” (BBC America)
“The Least Among You” (Showtime)
“Thurgood” (HBO)

Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
Anika Noni Rose – “Hallmark Hall of Fame, Mitch Albom’s Have a Little Faith” (ABC)
Jenifer Lewis – “Five” (Lifetime Movie Network)
Rosario Dawson – “Five” (Lifetime Movie Network)
Taraji P. Henson – “Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story” (Lifetime)
Tracee Ellis Ross – “Five” (Lifetime Movie Network)

Anchor Bay is planning a spring release for the movie, which stars Lynn Collins, Rosario Dawson, Jenna Dewan-Tatum, Brian Geraghty, Ari Graynor, Oscar Issac, Ron Livingston, Justin Long, Anthony Mackie, Kate Mara, Max Minghella, Aubrey Plaza, Scott Porter, Chris Pratt and Channing Tatum.

It was produced by Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, Tatum and his Iron Horse Entertainment partner Reid Carolin. 
It was executive produced by Eric Gores, Scott Lumpkin and Frank Mancuso, Jr. with financing from Gores and Mancuso’s Boss Media.

Paradigm repped Linden, with the Paradigm Motion Picture Finance Group repping Gores, Mancuso and Boss Media and negotiating the deal with Anchor Bay.

The acquisition was announced Wednesday by Anchor Bay Entertainment president Bill Clark and Kevin Kasha, executive vp, acquisitions and co-productions, Anchor Bay Films.

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Dawson will star as June Bailey, the mother of Hudgens’ character, while Jones will play a character named Father McCarthy. The film also stars Brendan Fraser as the father of Hudgens’ character, Jack Bailey.

In Gimme Shelter, Hudgens plays a character named Agnes “Apple” Bailey, and the plot goes a little something like this:

This street-wise, 16 year old girl who calls herself Apple has never had an easy life. Her mother is a junkie and prostitute, is verbally and physically abusive, and is grooming her daughter to follow in her footsteps. Apple knows the streets, alleys and motels like the back of her hand but wants more from her life. She possesses a tenacious, tough, indomitable spirit, and will not surrender to fate. Apple runs away from her mother and tracks down her father whom she has never known, as he was only 19 himself when he got Apple’s mother pregnant. Apple begs her now Wall Street Broker father to take her in.

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A bold anthology of five short films exploring the impact of breast cancer on people’s lives, Five uses humor and drama to focus on the effect breast cancer and its different stages of diagnosis have on relationships and the way women perceive themselves while searching for strength, comfort, medical breakthroughs and, ultimately, a cure.

Five’s cast includes Academy Award(R) nominee Patricia Clarkson (Pieces of April), Rosario Dawson (Sin City), Lyndsy Fonseca (How I Met Your Mother), Ginnifer Goodwin (Big Love), Josh Holloway (Lost), Taylor Kinney (The Vampire Diaries), Jenifer Lewis (The Princess and the Frog), Jennifer Morrison (House M.D.), Kathy Najimy (WALL-E), Golden Globe(R) Award winner Bob Newhart (Horrible Bosses), Annie Potts (Law & Order: SVU), Tracee Ellis Ross (Girlfriends), Emmy(R) and Golden Globe winner Tony Shalhoub (Monk), and Emmy nominees Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development) and Jeanne Tripplehorn (Big Love).

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You don’t have to have a twitter account to join the fun. Just go to Twitter.com and enter #RosarioDawson to follow the conversation between @Shape_Magazine and @RosarioDawson. If you do have a twitter account follow along and submit your questions to @Shape_Magazine with the hashtag #RosarioDawson. We’ll be asking her your questions during the twitterview. If you ever wanted to ask Rosario something here’s your chance! In the mean time, get your fill of the fit actress here and check out our exclusive interview and video from the August cover shoot.

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Deadline was first to reveal Trance in early May, when Boyle decided to work in a follow-up to 127 Hours even as he prepares to direct the opening ceremonies of next summer’s Olympics in London. He’s re-teaming with frequent producing collaborator Christian Colson. They will shoot the movie in the fall in London, then put it on a shelf while Boyle devotes himself to the Olympics beginning in January. When the games are over, Boyle will start cutting the film in August 2012 with the goal of having the picture ready for Fox Searchlight to release it in March 2013.

Dawson is currently starring alongside Kevin James in Zookeeper; McAvoy just starred in X-Men: First Class and is filming Welcome to the Punch; and Cassel, most recently seen in Black Swan, next stars in A Dangerous Method, reteaming him with Eastern Promises director David Cronenberg. Dawson’s repped by CAA and Untitled; McAvoy by UTA and UK-based Ruth Young of United Agents, and Cassel by CAA and France-based Adequat.

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In order for Rosario and the movie to win, the fans must vote! So head on over to www.teenchoiceawards.com and vote! It does require registration, but after you register you can vote everyday, so its worth it!

Choice Movie: Action
“Fast Five”
“Faster”
“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”
“The Tourist”
“Unstoppable”

Choice Movie Actress: Action
Jordana Brewster, “Fast Five”
Rosario Dawson, “Unstoppable”
Carla Gugino, “Faster”
Angelina Jolie, “The Tourist”
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”

The awards show on will air Sunday, August 7th on FOX!