We’ve all seen the data: Latinos are poised to become the largest minority voting bloc in the U.S. such, politicians have been left scratching their heads as to how to get Latinos to show up to the polls.
This just happens to be one of the main goals of the Latino Community Foundation (LCF). Based in California, LCF has been working for the past few years to mobilize Latino voters in order to “build civic and political power for Latinos.”
Studies have shown that one of the key issues in accomplishing this is the (often correct) perception that politicians are not actually interested in Latino communities.
A report from The Atlantic found that Democrats have been struggling to engage Latinos and have been trapped in antiquated forms of Latino voter outreach, such as believing Latinos are one-issue voters and only interested in immigration reform.
“There’s a real risk that if Democrats don’t sort out these issues soon, they could struggle to attract and mobilize what could be the largest minority voting bloc in 2020,” wrote The Atlantic.
So how can Democrats show Latinos that they care?
For starters, LCF’s CEO Jacqueline Martinez Garcel explained to The Atlantic that “candidates should think of Latino interests beyond immigration as part of their mainstream agendas.”
According to a poll conducted by LCF, the top issues for Latinos in 2020 are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, lowering the cost of healthcare and creating more jobs.
Martinez Garcel also credited an increase in Latino voter turnout for Democrats flipping seats in the usually Republican stronghold of Orange County during the 2018 midterm elections. Orange County Latinos were mobilized when candidates reached out to grassroots Latino activists in the communities.
“All campaigns must speak to Latinos directly,” LCF stressed.
LCF has succeeded in mobilizing Latino voters by facilitating conversations between campaigns and voters. For example, prior to the 2018 midterm elections, LCF partnered with the Spanish-language television network Univision to organize the first nationally televised gubernatorial forum that focused on the issues that matter most to Latinos. The forum received over 1 million views.
In California’s Central Valley, Latino voter turnout increased by 258% for voters between the ages of 18 to 34 during the 2018 midterm elections.
In September 2019, LCF partnered with the University of California, Merced to host a voter registration drive, a census pledge drive and discussions with Latino students. California Secretary of State Alex Padilla spoke at the event.
LCF also launched its Yo Voy A Votar ¿Y Tú? (”I’m going to vote. What about you?”) campaign. In 2016, LCF, along with its community partners, reached 8 million Latinos and registered nearly 6,500 voters. In 2018, LCF worked with youth-focused Latino organizations. Their efforts reached 150,000 Latinos and registered 24,000 voters. Additionally, LCF works with Latino-led grassroots organizations to mobilize their communities, including Brown Issues, the CHISPA Education Fund, the Dolores Huerta Foundation and Mi Familia Vota.
Amanda Renteria, interim president and board chair of Emerge America, and Latino Giving Circle founding member, said, “LCF’s investment in voter education and their network of Latino-led organizations have made it possible for the community to confidently exercise their right to vote.”
LCF’s voter education efforts include developing a Latino voter guide, which breaks down the basics of voting and provides information about key positions and ballot measures. The voter guides are available in both English and Spanish.
LCF’s work is funded through a mix of individual, foundational and corporate donors. In 2018, foundations accounted for 70% of LCF’s revenue at $3,886,384. Individuals accounted for 17% of its revenue at $939,539. Corporations accounted for 13% of its revenue at $723,653. Total revenue increased by a little over $1 million from the previous year.
Among LCF’s corporate and foundation donors are Alta Med, Bank of America, the California HealthCare Foundation, Chevron, Facebook, Google.org, the Hellman Foundation, JPMorgan Chase, PG&E, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the Chavez Family Foundation and Wells Fargo Bank.
So what can other states learn from LCF’s success?
It isn’t enough simply to repeat ad nauseum that the Latino vote matters if campaigns don’t actually try to understand Latinos. Latinos are not single-issue voters; they are not a monolith. Other state-based community foundations can work to facilitate conversations between candidates and voters, encourage campaigns to listen to Latino voters’ concerns and needs and invest in grassroots organizations that work directly with voters.
The 2018 midterm elections showed that Latinos can and will show up to the polls if motivated. But if campaigns continue to rely on archaic conventions when it comes to Latino voters, they may be in for disappointment.
The Aftermath of the 2020 Election
Trump’s campaign made serious efforts to court Latino voters in Florida. But while he was successful in winning over some Latino voters, it’s important to note that Latinos overwhelmingly voted for Biden.
Still, it’s clear Democrats don’t understand Latino voters as well as they should.
Eduardo Garcia, a senior policy fellow with LCF, told Mercury News, “Campaigns need to speak to Latino voters recognizing that we don’t all vote the same way and that we still need to be reached out to and spoken to.”
With Biden’s win, Kamala Harris will be the next vice president. LCF is joining other Latino groups in calling for Gov. Gavin Newsom to appoint a Latino to take Harris’s place. Despite being home to 15 million Latinos, California has never had a Latino senator.
In addition to increasing representation in government and mobilizing Latino voters, LCF is also looking to increase an understanding of Latinos in general.
Martinez Garcel tweeted, “As Latinos drive growth in the U.S., they will continue to be a force that must be better understood by anyone who wants their vote.”
“This is a movement of generations,” Garcel added. “Beyond today, we will & must continue to invest in building political power in communities of color. We are just getting started.”
