The LatinX Vote Could be Decisive for 2020 Presidential Election

Voters drop in their ballots by hand. San Francisco, CA. Oct. 23, 2020. Photo by Melvin Wong/The Guardsman.

 

By Andy Damián- Correa

acorrea@theguardsman.com

 

In the upcoming Nov 3. election, LatinX voters are slated to be the second-largest voting block.  For the first time in election history, LatinX voters will have a large influence in determining the outcome of the election and thus the country’s future. That is if Latino turnout is strong.

 

According to Voto Latino, over three million young Latinos have turned 18 since 2014. 60 percent of LatinX are 34 years old or younger. In the 2018 midterm election, over 2 million voted.   There is not a way to get to the White House without the support of LatinX voters. They are the largest minority group to ever participate in a U.S. election. 

Voters drop in their ballots by hand. San Francisco, CA. Oct. 23, 2020. Photo by Melvin Wong/The Guardsman.

As a group, LatinX voters are more likely to vote for the Democratic candidate because they do not want to support a racist president.

 

LatinX voters who have the right to vote must do so for the 11 million undocumented immigrants whose voices cannot be heard.

 

One of the most important issues for our community has been left out: immigration. Neither candidate has made a clear stance for the LatinX community.

This is our time to fight for our rights in this democracy. We need to have more LatinX in Congress. We are fighting for our rights now more than ever.

 

LatinX voters have to go to the polls and vote because only then will they be able to show the country their vast political power.  As a gay LatinX immigrant with permanent residency, I will not be able to vote in the elections. However, I will do my part as a volunteer at election polls.

There are minimal lines for early voting. San Francisco, CA. Oct. 23, 2020. Photo by Melvin Wong/The Guardsman.

Today the message is clear, the current president in the White House is racist and does not care about the LatinX community, but the LatinX does care for this nation.  Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, our community has suffered the hardest blows in job security and housing. This election means more than any other election has in our lifetimeLatinX brothers and sisters must go to the polls on Nov. 3. 

 

Do not forget about the children and families separated at the border without a voice, the LatinX folks who are dying on the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students who are looking for their future in the United States. Never forget the collection of lies that has been spewed by the current president of the United States.  If the LatinX community does not vote, it will be others who will decide what is best for their community.

There are ways to vote safely during the current global health crisis. If you plan to vote by mail, make sure you turn in your ballot on time or vote early in-person at your local polling place or City Hall. All of these are trustworthy methods to get your vote counted. Make yourself heard.