This weekend, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party held their summer meetup in Allentown where they rolled out the party’s first Latino caucus.

Back in 2014, select committee members began whispering in party chairman Jim Burn’s ear about the need to create a Latino task force on the state level. The state is home to a rising population of Latinos who could be game-changers in the upcoming general elections.

It took 8 months of organizing, but after a unanimous vote Saturday, the caucus’ first members were sworn in: David Rodriguez, chairman; Isamac Torres-Figueroa, vice chair; Humberto Perez, secretary; and April Riddick, treasurer.

A new set of bylaws went into effect alongside the caucus. The group will consist both of state committee and non-state committee members, and the group’s focus will be on voter enlightenment from county to county.

“We’re going to be concentrated on voter registration and informing the Latino community on how important it is to vote,” Chairman David Rodriguez said.“We’re also going to work on electing quality Latino candidates to office.”

The task force will concentrate its efforts on Philadelphia, Allentown, Bethlehem, Reading, Lancaster, and Lebanon — areas where the Latino population is growing.