Hillary Clinton’s campaign is touting an “unprecedented” rate of early voting among Latino voters in Florida, citing a 99 percent increase from 2012 in the number of ballots cast so far.
According to a report put out by the campaign Monday, more than 133,000 Florida Latinos have already voted.
José Dante Parra, a former senior adviser to then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and a Democratic strategist, said that the figure was “significant for many reasons.”
“Minorities in general tend not to vote until Election Day,” Parra told TPM. “The fact that people are turning out earlier tells you that people are more attuned to the election and everything that’s happening.”
Avi Green, former executive director of voting rights organization MassVOTE, told TPM via email that the Clinton campaign’s number could indicate a “backlash surge” against Republican efforts to strengthen voting restrictions, including attempts to limit early voting.
Green said that the figure was “extremely compelling” if accurate.
“Because historical average turnout rates among Latinos are lower than among African-Americans, there are more infrequent voters available to activate,” Green wrote. “It’s possible that Donald Trump may have triggered a surge of Latino activism nationwide.”
“There’s nothing about that number that’s not a big deal,” Democratic consultant Steve Schale said. “Florida does report exactly who votes every day, so those numbers are accurate.”
Schale said that the statistic was “a sign of enthusiasm,” and reflected an influx of first-time voters and an increase in voter diversity.
“The more diverse the electorate, the better we’re going to be,” he said, adding that it “would just make Secretary Clinton’s path to victory much easier.”
The Latino voter upsurge in early voting and intent to turnout not only in Florida but across the country exemplifies an enthused and energetic trend in the party base, a foreshadowing of the wave to come.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C669jw9oTsU~fingers crossed!~
America’s ‘Best Christian,’ Betty Bowers knows it time to choose. No more “undecided”!
All smiles here.
Excellent news, but the real question is how big an increase in total Hispanic voting this represents, and how much is due to some voters simply shifting their voting from election day to early voting.
Being married to a Mexican-American woman who despises Trump with an intensity that outweighs even mine, I would hope her feelings are matched by Hispanic voters all over the country. It’s hard for me to imagine not voting, but voting is a habit that’s highly subject to prevailing social, educational, and financial conditions.
Estás despedido!
These past few months I’ve been surprised to learn that many Oregon Latinos do not vote at all. And it’s often a touchy subject to broach with them. Many don’t believe that America’s politics have anything to do with them or will do anything for them.