Grassroots group seeks to engage more Latino voters this election
MINNEAPOLIS – Jenny Martinez hasn't even cast her first ballot yet, but she's spending the final weeks leading up to Election Day encouraging others to register to vote.
"No matter if you're Latino or not, it's definitely critical and essential for you to go out there and vote and choose somebody who speaks for your beliefs and values for sure," Martinez said.
The 21-year-old college student is a new U.S. citizen and said she registered to vote as soon as she could. Now she works as a field organizer with COPAL, an acronym that translates to Communities Organizing Latino Power in Action.
The grassroots group exists to break down barriers on how to vote and where to vote for Latino voters in Minnesota, a population accounting for more than one-quarter of the state's growth in the last two decades.
COPAL engages the community with phone banking and door-knocking with organizers who speak both English and Spanish, which is essential to get more people involved in the political process, said Ryan Pérez, political campaigns manager for COPAL. Voting information can be complex and highly technical, he added, and people prefer to hear it and better understand it in their native language.
"Part of having a bilingual program isn't just for people who only speak one language, but to meet people in the most comfortable way where they're at to be able to communicate in a way that works for them," Pérez said.
It's hard to know how many Latino voters are registered in Minnesota. COPAL's best estimate voters in Minnesota is around 60,000. A U.S. Census Bureau survey puts that number at 116,000 in 2020 with a significant margin for error. Minnesota has the highest voter turnout of any state, but it's lower among different segments of the population, including Latino voters.
"Minnesota is also one of the top states for health care access and one of the hardest states for a person of color to get health care access. Minnesota is one of the top states consistently for education, but when it comes down to people of color, I think we're the second worst state for a Black or Brown kid to get a public education," he said. "So these disparities are particularly felt in Minnesota that we're consistently ranking number one or number two, but that story is only when you're not accounting for racial disparity."
But Pérez believes turnout is not what it could be and he's working to target eligible voters who are not yet registered. Increasing the turnout among the Latino communities in Minnesota can make a difference in the outcome of key elections, since the state has a history of close margins, he said.
For example, fewer than 10,000 votes decided the Second Congressional District race two years ago, which is among the most competitive in the nation this year.
"I think there's an air of 'Oh Latinos don't want to get involved in politics or aren't interested in politics,'" he said. "I think it goes beyond that - I think if it's really convenient and really safe and secure to cast a ballot, I think a lot more people will do it any community."
A national survey from Pew Research Center found about half of Latino voters plan to vote for the Democratic candidate in their district's election for the U.S. House of Representatives, while 28% say they plan to vote for the Republican candidate, and another 18% are undecided.
Younger generation of voters 'backbone' of outreach
The Latino community in Minnesota is a younger population. The median age is just 25 and 37% are under 18, according to the Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs. That's higher than the overall state population under 18 at just 23%.
Pérez said second- and third-generation immigrants are essential to COPAL's outreach program because they are bilingual and can communicate complex election information to their families and their neighbors.
"A young person in the community is really a place where they can take all of the information and boil it down and say, 'These are the values that we have. We're going to vote here. We're going to vote for this person,'" he said. "It's all love to elders in our community that are getting involved as well, but the backbone of our elections program has been the young people."
Rodolfo Gutierrez, who studies Latino communities as executive director of HACER - Hispanic Advocacy and Community Empowerment through Research - said that among eligible voters, he's seen the most engagement from younger Latinos who "are more critical to the system, but also are putting more effort in changing the system."
Engagement has increased with time, he said. The majority of the Latino community is concentrated in the seven-county Twin Cities metro, but there is representation in every county in the state.
Gutierrez explained that older voters overall feel disconnected from the politics because they don't see elected officials focusing on problems unique to them. He also noted there is a culture of distrust in Latin American countries when it comes to politicians that still lingers.
"I have a lot of faith that this Gen Z among Latinos is going to be the key for change," Gutierrez said. "They are becoming more active. Their voice is louder now."
He applauded the efforts of COPAL and other organizations engaging voters this year. The ability to understand makes all the difference, and the groups help make that possible.
"Otherwise, you don't see anybody like you talking to you," he said.
This is the third election for COPAL and its outreach. Pérez touts the success of their efforts in 2020, but questions whether people will be as motivated this midterm cycle with some "big national dynamics that were getting folks motivated" aren't a factor this time around.
But he believes voting is a tradition - that all it takes is convincing someone to cast their first vote in order for them to participate in future elections.
"When the Latino community is getting fully involved, when people of color are getting fully involved, you're going to have a more representative democracy," Pérez said. "You're going to have a democracy that works for everybody better."
