Georgia’s Latino Voter Turnout Doubled in 2020

New figures show that an estimated 160,000 Latinos in George voted in the 2020 presidential election.

Every vote in Georgia has yet to be counted, but one thing is clear: Latinos showed up to vote.

Nationwide, it’s projected that more than 15 million Latinos voted in the presidential election—and an estimated 57% to 70% of Latinos voted for Joe Biden. One monumental accomplishment for the Biden campaign is that he has the most votes of any presidential candidate in history, surpassing former President Barack Obama with a record of 73,688,334 votes, and votes are still being counted.

One of the reasons why the Georgia race is so close between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden is the massive turnout of Black and Latino voters this year.

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More than 240,000 Latinos are registered to vote in Georgia. As of Nov. 5, and as votes continue to be counted, the US Election Project shows that 105,852 Latinos in the state voted early. These figures confirm an earlier study that said 54% of Latinos had an early voting plan. 

A closer look at Georgia exit polls from The American Election Eve shows that 69% of Latinos statewide voted for Biden.

The Latino population in Georgia has been growing steadily for the past several years. According to Pew Research Center, an estimated 923,000 Latinos live in Georgia, accounting for 9% of its population. One of the largest Latino populations in the state is in Gwinnett County, a suburb of Atlanta. That demographic brought in 75% of votes for Biden. 

High voter turnout in the presidential election was expected, especially after so many people of color voted in Georgia’s primary in June, during the height of the pandemic. 

Latinos nationwide said one of the most critical issues when going to vote was the economy and COVID-19. In Georgia, however, Latinos also said they care about social justice issues. Many of them attended Black Lives Matter protests over the summer.  

“It’s just so frustrating to see how many people have to die and have to face fear every day in order for you to understand that this is wrong,” 20-year-old Leticia Arcila said in an interview with The World back in September. She said she would be voting for the first time in the 2020 presidential election. “It’s just so hard to wrap my mind around that some people truly don’t believe that Black lives matter.” 

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