This past weekend, the 2024 Texas Tribune Festival went off without a hitch as politicians and activists alike conjured in the heart of Austin. The event took place, as it often does, in the Omni Hotel, utilizing nearby venues like the beloved Paramount Theatre and Episcopal Church to house inspiring political chats and panels. While, in all fairness, there wasn’t an overwhelming amount of diversity, there was one panel I certainly wasn’t going to miss. A conversation between panelists Voto Latino President and CEO Maria Teresa Kumar, Political Strategist and Philanthropist Luis Miranda, Jr., Co-Founder of The Lincoln Project Mike Madrid, and Former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, CEO of the Latino Community Foundation Julián Castro titled The Transformation.
The conversation aimed to break down how “the Latino population is shaking up American politics”. Castro began the conversation with an introduction, “As the [Latino] community is almost nationally 20% of the United States. More than 25% of the children in the country, and this year it’s estimated by one count that there are more than 36 million eligible Latinos who could be voters. How many of them turn out, where they turn out, who they turn out for, maybe most importantly, is the subject of our conversation.”
The panelists began by discussing how the Latino vote is uniquely different from other US citizens. Spread across a multitude of countries and cultures, Latinos are often facing a political landscape that was not created for us. As Kumar pointed out, so much of how Latinos vote is about which candidate sees us and sees our unique struggles, “The Latino vote is absolutely a swing vote. But it’s a swing vote very based on how do you have government working for you? How do you have government working and making sure you’re making your ends meet?… And so, when you’re looking for policies [voters] believe that there is a place for government, but if government is not meeting them where they are, then all of the sudden they have a tendency to tap out.” And “meeting them where they are” could be as simple as having commercials in Spanish. Hiring a Hispanic person on your team. It’s simply showing you value Latinos as voters and as people.
As Miranda pointed out, this notion of “tapping out” when it comes to politics is nothing new for Latinos. So much of the conversation does not revolve around us, or our issues. We are often not seen, “We are also moving away…from an older generation of elected officials who look at politics from the African American and White perspective. We were not part of that equation.” When we look at politics, we can see a group of politicians who have no understanding of the Latino community. No true way to relate or speak to our perspective. To see where we fit into this inspiring tapestry we call home. Part of what makes Latino voters unique is that perspective, and we’re fighting against a generation, on both sides of the aisle, that has yet to truly recognize us.
It’s what makes us stand out, and what also gives our vote power.
So, these talking points indicate where the Latino vote is going to go. It’s going in the direction of a candidate who sees us, acknowledges the struggles and uniqueness of the Latino community, and is willing to aid that. And what’s the best way to get people to take notice of us as Latinos? Well, Kumar has a simple but effective answer, “You overwhelm them at the voting booth. You overwhelm them at the voting booth, and make sure they don’t see you coming.”
So this election year, let’s make sure we’re all registered to vote. Let’s make the Latino vote heard, loud and clear.
