Peninsula groups hope to increase Hispanic voter turnout with help from youth ambassadors
It's believed Hispanics in the U.S. have the potential to be key this election year and efforts are underway on the Peninsula to increase voter turnout where it's been historically low.
The League of Women Voters of South San Mateo County, 'Anamatangi Polynesian Voices, and Youth Community Service are working to get people in the Latino and Polynesian communities engaged.
With an estimated 36 million Hispanic voters eligible to vote in this upcoming election, and an estimated 1.4 million becoming eligible to vote each year, this voting block has the potential to make a difference in swing states.
However, at a local level, the goal is to make people aware of the issues affecting them in their neighborhoods and how their voices matter in the decisions being made.
In East Palo Alto there is a strong push to engage voters in the Latino community where barriers remain. There's still uncertainty about the process, political marginalization and ballot complexity, according to 'Anamatangi Polynesian Voices.
At only 16, Oliver Santiago-Mendez is learning all about voter registration while working with Youth Community Service.
"I decided to get involved with Youth Community Service because I was told, well I'm defined as someone who likes to help the community," said Santiago-Mendez. "And so, seeing what this service, what this program offers, I felt like it was something I would be very connected to."
By deploying youth ambassadors like Santiago-Mendez, future voters are informed and registered. The league has established a page to make it easy for people to get involved: vote411.org.
"We feel like our voices aren't supposed to be heard, it motivates us," said Santiago-Mendez. "People who think it doesn't matter. Even if it's one of two votes, our voices do matter."
In a race that's neck-and-neck at a national level, the Latino vote could be consequential in key states, says Stanford history professor Albert Camarillo.
"In places like Pennsylvania, where there's about 200,000 or 600,000, there a significant increase from eight years ago," said Camarillo. "And in a state like that, that's going to be razor-thin margin, it all depends in a way how that Latino vote swings."
Also, not all Latinos vote alike; national origin and generation matter. On the topic of immigration, a Cuban American in Florida will identify differently on the issue than a first-generation Mexican American in California.
Camarillo noted the current political climate somewhat mirrors the 90s when Hispanic voters mobilized after an anti-immigration ballot initiative. It also galvanized Latino politicians for years.
"Political power brings other kinds of resources to communities and Latinos learned that and realized that voting power means economic power, it means cultural power, it means opportunity," said Camarillo. "That's why I think you see such emphasize now on the swing states but in a state like California, that has an enormous voting power."
If voting data reveals that Hispanic voters played a crucial role in battleground states, it could lead to more attention on the economic challenges, housing affordability and education issues impacting the Latino community.