Early Voting in Latino Community

With only a couple of months left until Election Day, one way Latino voters can make sure our voices are heard is by taking advantage of early voting. More than half of the country allows for a multitude of ways to cast your ballot early and avoid the headaches of the lines that will be all too commonplace on November 8th.

According to the Brennan Center, as of 2021,19 states have implemented more than 30 laws that make it difficult for Americans to vote. The effect of those policies is that voting is a more strenuous and often slower process than it needs to be. Add to that the fact that Republicans have refused to support efforts to modernize our voting infrastructure (or even to fairly allocate voting machines) and the result is that many people can expect long lines on Election Day.

Of course, “many” isn’t the same as “all.” It’s Latinos and other people of color who bear the brunt of these political attacks and are forced to jump through hoops just to exercise their constitutional right to cast a ballot and have it count.

Avoiding those long lines is one reason why early voting is such a potent tactic to protect our rights.

We’ve seen that early voting reduces Election Day congestion. Poll workers perform better, and when problems do crop up, they’re resolved earlier and are less likely to cause backups. As voter suppression continues to rise in communities of color, whether it’s strict voter ID laws or inaccessibility to polls, casting early ballots is a powerful defense against the attempt to silence the voice of Latinos.

Research from The Washington Post shows that between the 2008-2016 elections, more Latinos are showing up for early voting, especially in states like Florida and Arizona. In these same states, the Latino vote also accounts for almost a quarter of the total votes.

Right-wing states are strategically making an effort to cut the early voting time, knowing that communities of color are a major fraction of early voters. In the 2018 primary elections, Democrats earned about two-thirds of the Latino vote, with 45% of those voters saying that they voted before Election Day.

It also helps to spread the word about voting early to others in your social circles. Peer-to-peer communication has shown to be effective in motivating people to vote in the 2022 primaries. There has been a general distrust in the government that steers people away from voting, but when Latinos don’t make their voices heard, other groups will. Talking to friends and family about the availability of early voting can help the Latino community make another significant impact in the approaching elections.

As the second largest voting group in the country, we have power in elections, and one way to defend ourselves from attempts to suppress the vote is to vote early. When we can elect candidates that represent our values, our community and our principles, we end up with a government that addresses our needs. Issues such as gun violence, healthcare and abortion are critically important to the Latino community and our future. And only by voting do we have the potential to demand the change we need.

Feel free to edit or take this out - I just wanted to add more context to show that Latino voters can make an impact, instead of just saying that Latino voters are voting early without mentioning the benefits of doing so.