Several ethnic community groups in New York City launched a campaign last week in a Brooklyn church to register more than 15,000 low-income voters from the city’s five boroughs for the municipal elections.

The initiative, called NY VOTE, is a collaborative effort of several advocacy groups, including Families United for Racial and Economic Equality, Jobs With Justice, Make the Road by Walking and Mothers on the Move.

“We will do everything possible to assure that the next mayor of New York will deal with our communities’ needs,” said Beverly Corbin, co-director of Families United for Racial and Economic Equality, a non-profit organization that represents day care workers and low-income families.

The goals of the campaign are: To educate citizens about each of the candidates’ platforms; register people so that they can exercise their right to vote; and inform them of the power of participating in elections.

“I am not well informed about the elections,” said Barbara White, a single mother of two children who has lived in Park Slope for 32 years.

White believes that the information campaign is a great opportunity for people like her, who work and go to school, since it is uncommon to get information that is related to elections in her community.

“We need to unite so the candidates will hear what our needs are and treat us as equals,” said White, who attended the meeting at House of the Lord Church on Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn.

According to Carmen Cirino, a board member at Families United for Racial and Economic Equality, the most pressing needs among the communities of color are: jobs with better pay and medical coverage; more day care centers; and more opportunities for non-English-speaking parents to become involved in their children’s schooling.

NY VOTE is a campaign projected to continue for five years, in order to “go beyond” the municipal elections.

The New York City Democratic primaries will take place on September 13. The candidates are Fernando Ferrer, ex-Bronx Borough president, Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields, City Council Speaker Gifford Miller and Congressman Anthony Weiner. The winner will face off against the Republican mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg, in the general elections on November 8.

“We really don’t know the details about the elections, and that’s why I came to get informed,” said Elizabeth Huerta, 52, a day care provider.