San Diego

Record Number of Latinos Are Eligible to Vote in Midterms

In 2016, Latino voter turnout hit a record low, now more Latinos are registered to vote than ever

More Latinos than ever are eligible to vote in the upcoming midterm elections, but sheer numbers doesn’t always mean political muscle.

Hispanic voters are more enthusiastic than in previous midterms, however they still lag behind when it comes to voter engagement, according to a new study from the Pew Research Center.

“C’mon everybody, vote! We need it,” said Graciela Villarreal, a Vista resident.

Villarreal voted early and is hoping other Latinos follow her lead.

“We need something better for everybody. Not only for us Latinos, but for everybody,” Villarreal said. “I’m really glad that I’m a citizen, and I can come to vote.”

In the U.S. there are now 29 million Latinos who are eligible to vote. Four million more people than in 2015, according to the Pew Research Center.

The huge increase doesn’t necessarily translate into actual votes.

“With registration, there are a number of efforts made to register Latinos to vote, but what often happens is that there is no sustained effort to make sure they turn out to vote,” said Isidro Ortiz, PhD, Chicano Studies Professor at San Diego State University.

Ortiz believes that a big Latino turnout on November 6 can decide close contests at all levels of government, including San Diego’s fourth district.

“The largest ethnic group in that district is Latinos, and so if they were to turn out, they could affect, significantly, the outcome of that election,” Ortiz told NBC 7.

In the county, there are 387,587 Latinos registered to vote. They make up more than one-fifth of the 1.7 million registered voters in San Diego, according to the Registrar of Voters.

Most Latinos are registered Democrats, but the Latino vote is not monolithic, and the issues that are important differ from generations.

“For me it’s health, because it’s too expensive,” said Villarreal, who is a senior citizen.

“A fear of climate change, a fear of things changing in the future and us losing Social Security,” said Gibhran Jimenez, an Escondido resident who is in his 20s.

Just two years ago, Latino voter turnout dropped to a record low of 27 percent.

The Pew Research Center showed that policies from the Trump Administration are making Latinos more concerned about their place in America.

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