Pennsylvania Secretary of State Pedro Cortes.(Photo courtesy of the York Daily Record)

(York) -- Neither Pennsylvania Secretary of State Pedro Cortes or CASA executive director Gustavo Torres even hinted at any underlying reason at a news conference as to why Hispanics and African-Americans should register to vote for this year's election.

Along with York Mayor Kim Bracey and NAACP president Sandra Thompson, Cortes and Torres both acknowledged that this year's presidential election may be the most important one in the lifetimes of a lot of people.

And so, Cortes said that the Department of State and CASA, an organization that focuses on equal opportunities for Hispanics and immigrants, along with the NAACP, are "engaging in an aggressive campaign for voter registration."

First-time voter Ximena Diaz, a 19-year-old George Washington University student who is interning for state Rep. Kevin Schreiber, D-York, had no such hesitation about why she thinks it's important for Hispanics to register to vote for this year's presidential election.

"Donald Trump," Diaz said after the news conference, while she waited to have a picture taken with Cortes. "He wants to take the rights away from 11 million people. A lot of people now are living in fear of being deported and taken away from their families."