Latinos Need to Step up the Vote in These Three States

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(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

By Araceli Cruz

November 2, 2020

More than 32 million Latinos are eligible to vote, but will they show up on Election Day?

More than 95 million people have already voted in the 2020 presidential election. While that figure is staggering and impressive, many registered voters in key states have not voted yet. Will they turn out to vote tomorrow on Election Day?

Here are the three critical states that are lagging in Latino voters. 

Florida

This year, the Latino electorate makes up more of the early vote share than it did in 2016 in every battleground state, outpacing other demographics.

An estimated 2.5 million Latinos are registered to vote in Florida for the 2020 presidential election, making up a record 17% of the state’s total, Pew Research Center reports. 

As of Nov. 2, nearly 1.31 million Latino voters have already cast their ballot, compared to just 975,000 in 2016. However, half of Latino registered voters have not yet voted, according to Catalist, a data vendor. 

RELATED: 54% of Latinos Have an Early Voting Plan, New Poll Shows

Arizona

The Grand Canyon state has seen historic early voting figures. More than 2.4 million Arizonans have already voted. 

An estimated 1.2 million Latinos are registered to vote in Arizona, yet two-thirds have not yet cast a ballot. 

One of the most significant indicators of how Arizona is going to vote is the Maricopa County figures, which includes Phoenix. 

“Whoever wins the Latino vote is going to win Maricopa county. And whoever wins Maricopa county is going to win Arizona,” Joseph García, director of Chicanos Por La Causa Action Fund, a non-profit based in Phoenix, told The Guardian. “And whoever wins Arizona is likely to win the White House.”

Maricopa County is home to 4.5 million residents, and more than 30% identify as Latino.

Pennsylvania 

On Election Day, all eyes will be on Pennsylvania. Many predict the race will be called depending on the results in Pennsylvania. While most voters are white, Latinos make up more than 7% of the population, and more than 5% of them are registered to vote. That percentage may seem small, but Latino voters account for 521,000 ballots. 

According to the Washington Post, early and absentee voting among Latino voters is lagging behind other demographics. Polls show that Joe Biden is leading slightly over Donald Trump. However, that doesn’t mean Pennsylvania can be determined just yet. 

“I’m not saying I’m not worried—everyone should be worried about everything because the election was so close in 2016,” a Democratic strategist who does work in Pennsylvania told the Washington Post. “But [Biden] is in a better position with Hispanic voters than Republicans who are having to explain the past four years to them.”

RELATED: Democrats Outnumber Republicans Among Early Voters in Red Florida Counties

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CATEGORIES: Elections | Latinos | Voting

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