Por: Adrian Garcia
Latino participation in our elections reminds me of the United States Men’s National Team in the 2022 World Cup. For those who don’t re-member, there was consider-able controversy over how little playing time the young wunderkind, Gio Reyna, was getting despite being hailed as “(one of the) brightest stars that the United States possesses” in the press. Despite pleadings by fans, soccer commentators, and many others, Reyna never got off the sidelines much in the 2022 World Cup. Th at was mainly due to coaching decisions. Consequently, to many, Reyna’s absence was at least partially why the U.S. Men’s team’s performance did not live up to expectations. Recent election turnout results show Texas Latinos aren’t voting at nearly the levels of other races and cultures. Unlike Reyna, however, no coach is keeping us on the sidelines. According to NPR, Texas Latinos “have officially eclipsed non-Hispanic whites as the dominant ethnic group in the state, but the group’s political power has yet to catch up.” Latinos have an incredible opportunity to help steer policy in this state. Yet, we need to take advantage of it. Why?Th ere are several factors in play. First, according to the data, the Latino population in Texas is either too young to vote or is not median age, which usually results in more voter participation.
Another way to look at it is older people generally vote at higher rates than younger ones. How-ever, despite these facts, Texas only votes at less than 20% of the registered voters. Of those not voting, many of those are Latinos that could make a significant difference in the upcoming elections, as long as we get off the sidelines! Of the nearly 17m registered voters in Texas, only about 3m voted in recent primaries. Another reason for a lack of voter representation is that the State of Texas has gerrymandered districts, resulting in a reduction in the ability for Latinos to vote for like-mind-ed candidates with similar experiences and backgrounds. The final reason is just a hunch I have. Many of our fellow Latinos are relatively new to the U.S., and they or their families originate from countries where people cannot trust their elections to be fair. American elections should be transparent based on what happens in other countries. People come here because of free and fair elections and the ability to make your destiny! I can prove my hunch, too. Look at what happened when Latinos were more engaged in our elections in 2022 aft er Harris County redistricting made our precincts more representative of the population that lives here; Latinos, now given a fair shot to pick people who represented their interests, elected Commissioner Lesley Briones.
This means that Latinos comprise 60% of the Commissioners Court. Commissioner Briones is also the first mother to serve on the court in decades, bringing a true ‘familia’ perspective to the court. Turnout projections for the 2024 Texas Primaries show that Latino participation likely dropped from 2020. We have no coach to blame for this disappointing loss; it’s on us for not showing up. Earlier this month, the Unit-ed States Men’s National Team won a big tournament, and Gio Reyna was deemed “the USMNT’s most irreplaceable player.” By being on the field and off the sidelines, Reyna helped lead the Americans to the title. It’s time for Latinos in Texas to do the same. No one is holding us back but ourselves. For years, I have heard some say, “¿Por que votar, si nada cambia?” – Why vote if nothing changes?
My response is that it’s true that when you don’t vote, nothing changes! But look at the changes that happened on Harris County Commissioner’s Court; for the first time in 2019, two Latinos were serving on Commissioners Court at the same time, and when Commissioner Briones won her election against a longtime incumbent, there are now three Latinos serving on Commissioners Court at the same time. If you are voting, you are making a difference, but we need to bring more amigas/os, hermanas/os, and primas/os to vote in upcoming elections. I urge everyone reading this to get more involved, be team leaders, and let’s start winning by getting off the sidelines. If Latinos start playing, we will have an opportunity to accomplish our many goals. Join me in helping our community own our space! Early voting begins October 21st, 2024! To get all the details about elections and voting please visit www.HarrisVotes.com.
