How Capturing The ‘Latino Vote’ Will Mean Tapping Into Latino Diversity

Voter turnout in Texas broke records this year, especially among Texas’ Latino and Hispanic communities. And the election made even more clear that there is no such thing as a uniform “Latino vote.” Texas Latinos make up a number of diverse communities throughout the state – ones that politicians are going to have to get to know more closely if they want to make inroads with them.

Antonio Arellano is interim executive director of Jolt Action, a progressive civic engagement organization focusing on Latino voters in Texas. He told Texas Standard that Latino voter participation grew especially in Texas’ five largest cities.

Antonio Arellano, Interim Director of Jolt Action. Courtesy Photo

“The Latino constituency in Texas is culturally, ideologically and linguistically diverse. We need diverse campaigns and messaging to reach and mobilize this constituency. …We need to make sure that we’re reaching out to them in a way that they feel heard and have plans and policies ready to prioritize their needs.”

“We need to step away from the fact that folks look at the Latino voter as a given entity and instead start looking at them as a constituency that demands recruitment, and invest – invest heavily into Latino-majority communities and neighborhoods and you’re going to see them turn out. Historically, Latino voters in Texas have been an afterthought for political campaigns and for both political parties in the state. We can’t continue to ignore them, and recogniz[e] the diversity within the Latino constituency.”

“The Latino constituency in Texas is young, and if you win them, you don’t win them for just one election cycle; you win them for generations. This needs to be looked at as a generational investment. How do you capitalize on the opportunity that exists within the Latino constituency? Young Latino voters are an untapped gold mine. Whoever invests in them will win them for generations to come.”

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