Where are my peeps? Roll call for Hispanic voters

Make sure your voice is heard at the polling booths this year

Maria Solis

The Signal

The estimated Hispanic population of the United States based on the Census Facts as of July 1, 2009, is 48.4 million.

Despite the growing interest the newly titled “largest minority group” has generated, there is still a question of whether this segment of our community can render demographics into political influence. With so much power in numbers, why is the Hispanic community still not making an impact at the voting polls?

After personally polling Hispanics for their take on this November’s elections, four main reasons for not voting emerged. First, they are undocumented immigrants and cannot vote. Second, they are recent citizens and do not know anything about the election and thus do not know how to vote. Third, they are completely fed up with politics and our government so they avoid voting entirely. Lastly, their economic stance discourages them from thinking about politics because they are more concerned about producing cash flow.

A new poll from the Pew Hispanic Center suggests that even though a large majority of Hispanic voters favor the Democratic Party, it may not mean much at all in the upcoming November election. Even though Hispanics are now the largest minority group in the country and make up more than 15 percent of the total population, only a small percentage of Hispanics are actually eligible to vote – 9 percent.

This number comes from a larger proportion of the Hispanic population, 61 percent, that is currently under the age of 18 or undocumented immigrants (11.9 million or about 25 percent). Even though the U.S. Census takes into account all Hispanics who reside in the United States, the amount of constituents is still low.

While many immigrant Hispanics work hard to become American citizens, the younger generation born and raised as fluent English-speakers who are straddling both mainstream America and their Hispanic heritage still answered with “I don’t know how to vote.”

What is the problem peeps?! The fact is that even though their parents became U.S. citizens, many did not modify their way of life or gain knowledge of any affairs of state in gaining citizenship. So, if in the past they were not concerned about voting because they legally could not, many of them do not worry about it now that they can. Their children grow up with the knowledge our school systems offer, but never have any concrete examples of political principles or activism/participation from their parents, which translates to “I don’t care or know how to vote.”

Hispanics who have had prior experience with the political process historically have leaned toward the Democratic Party. They were driven away from voting Republican in part by the anti-immigration commitment of the Grand Old Party.

The Republican Party has realized that the Hispanic population is expected to increase by what the Washington Post says will be nearly 200 percent by 2050, and, just like the Democratic Party, have jumped on the bandwagon to try to recruit as many Hispanic voters possible.

Regardless of which party my fellow Hispanics choose to vote, motivating them to vote is another matter entirely. Today’s campaign staffers understand this fact and have tried to do what they can to register voters with block-walks, phones calls and information packets.

Sadly, and a sad conclusion it is, Hispanic voters’ lack of concern and/or knowledge will only hurt the Hispanic community a whole lot more than it will hurt either political party. So come on, peeps! Get out there, make a difference and VOTE!