Rosalba Álvarez and Cristina Ríos are two Mexican volunteers living in the suburbs of the city of Atlanta, in the southern state of Georgia. They belong to the organization “Mi Gente”, a non-partisan entity that is carrying out campaigns to boost the Latino vote throughout the state.
“We are already in the final stretch, we are very excited, trying to talk to people so that they go to vote,” explains Álvarez in statements to the Voice of America minutes before his day begins in a neighborhood of the city of Smyrna, where a large community of Hispanic voters lives.
According to data from the United States Census, in the state of Georgia there are about 400,000 Latino voters registered to vote. It is estimated that half will vote in the elections on November 5 and it is estimated that more than 125,000 Latino voters have already exercised their right to vote early.
Latinos represent 4% of the state’s total vote, but that figure is especially important if you take into account that four years ago Georgia ended up deciding the race, giving Joe Biden the victory by just 0.24%, that is, 11,779 votes.
For this reason, several experts in political strategies agree in pointing out that in this campaign it has been essential for both parties to focus on minorities, such as Latinos, aware of the importance of going to vote in the face of results that appear to be so close and that a A handful of votes can end up tipping the balance to one side or the other.
“All votes count and we saw that when Joe Biden won here by less than 12,000 votes in Georgia. So any minority community, like the Jewish community, the gay community, the Palestinian community, men, women, anyone can be the one that makes a difference,” commented Humberto García-Sjogrim, a consultant and activist who for several years has been involved with the Latino community in the state of Georgia.
Although García-Sjogrim admits that “there is still a lot to do” because he believes that both Democrats and Republicans “are not paying enough attention” to the importance of the Latino vote, despite the fact that, according to him, it is increasingly decisive in the elections.
Therefore, it is not surprising that in recent years there has been an increase in groups that declare they do not have a political affinity and that their efforts are focused on promoting the Latino vote in Georgia, which began to increase after the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996.
“For more than 20 years, the Latino population has been growing and establishing itself. Now we have people who are migrants who are working in carpet factories, in chicken factories and on farms all over Georgia, but there are also their children who have grown up here and have developed, who are voters and who are old enough to vote. said Tania Unzueta, political director of Mi Gente, making a very general x-ray of the profile of the Latino voter in Georgia.
Precisely, this type of voters is the one they are trying to convince to go to the polls on November 5, which is why door-to-door campaigns have been intensifying in several neighborhoods with a high density of Latino population registered to vote. to ensure that they have exercised universal suffrage.
“We try to talk to people so they can tell us what they think and what moves them to go vote, whether for Kamala Harris or Donald Trump,” said Cristina Ríos, another of the volunteers. Sunday, they toured several areas on the outskirts of Atlanta ringing bells to promote the Latino vote in these presidential elections.
Volunteers are willing to push these campaigns “until the last minute.” They do not want to miss the opportunity for “the voice of Latinos to be heard at the polls.”
“We found that there are people who are very disappointed, but the important thing is that people go out and vote. People who are registered and who are citizens should go out and vote, especially our community, because we believe that Latinos are going to make a difference,” Rosalba Álvarez predicted before continuing with her walk through the suburbs of Atlanta.
Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channels YouTube, WhatsApp and to newsletter. Turn on notifications and follow us on Facebook, x and instagram.
Add Comment