Although some may consider them a minority, Latinos are already an overwhelming minority in the United States. They are a fundamental force in labor, taxation, language, consumption and culture, and in the November 5 elections they could win more than 36 million votes, 4 million more than in 2020. Being a very large and diverse group (one in five of the country’s residents), there is no clear trend in the direction of the vote or how many Latinos will vote. However, we know that neither candidate can reach the White House without the support of the community. Thus comes the heavy artillery to mobilize the vote: celebrities.
Recently, various campaigns have been launched to encourage people to vote or to steer the vote in a certain direction. And they all deploy their weapons: fame, talent and millions of followers. That is why celebrities such as Jessica Alba (who was in the White House with Joe Biden last week), America Ferrera (who was seen in a funny video with Kamala Harris), Anuel AA (who called on people to vote for Donald Trump) or the newly minted Emmy Award winner Liza Colon Zayas, who is campaigning in full force with Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, are so influential.
One of the most impactful campaigns is called Vota con Ganas (Vote with Passion), which was launched on September 18. It is part of the Voto Latino Foundation, which for 20 years has been encouraging Latinos not only to vote but also to register, a fundamental step before exercising their right to vote. According to The New York Times, the project has about $5 million in funding, but some powerful voices have also spoken out, especially through videos on social networks, which are an important tool to spread the message. Actress Rosario Dawson, one of the founders of Voto Latino in August 2004, was one of the first to post a video: “We are excited about this election. The numbers don’t lie. The youth vote will literally decide the election. If you feel anxious, overwhelmed or frustrated that your voice is not being heard, now is the time to claim it. There are 400 seats in Congress that can be flipped. We can turn the tide. Volunteer, get informed, register, encourage people to vote. The election is yours, so play it responsibly.”
Another current campaign, “Vote Like a Mom,” encourages mostly Latino women, mothers or not, to vote and focuses on protecting children from climate change and environmental damage. It’s part of the Latino Victory Project, and this time it’s betting on Harris-Waltz in the November election. One of the main promoters is Jessica Alba, who is organizing a brunch with women in Los Angeles to rally support for the Democratic Party. The campaign, which also includes Gina Torres and Camila Cabello, has raised about $2 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Dawson isn’t wrong. The numbers don’t lie. Some polls, such as a mid-September Entravision/AltaMed poll, already put Latino voter participation at 70 percent, a big improvement over 2020, when just over 16.5 million of 32 million eligible voters exercised their right to vote. Does this mean that Latinos will get to decide the next president? “Absolutely. As a result of the Electoral College system, the presidential election will be decided in seven battleground states,” points out A.K. Sandoval-Strauss, a history professor and director of the Latino Studies program at Pennsylvania State University. “The most important state is Pennsylvania (19 electoral votes). There are 1 million Latinos in Pennsylvania, of which 580,000 are eligible to vote. “While it is clear that Hispanics will have a decisive influence given that the last two elections were decided by margins of 44,000 and 80,000 votes, it is important to remember that there are other influential demographic groups. There are other battleground states with large Hispanic populations, notably Arizona (25% of potential voters are Hispanic) and Nevada (22%).”
For the scholar, “celebrity endorsements are very difficult to measure,” but one thing is clear from these final weeks: “both political camps care about them.” “This is a very close election,” explains Sandoval-Strauss. “Voters who are still undecided are few and far between, and we don’t yet know how to persuade them. In this situation, it’s probably worth trying to make people who share their cultural preferences feel like their vote is worthwhile.”
In 2020, 65% of Latinos supported Trump over Biden, but this November it’s much more balanced. Only 55% said they would vote for Harris over Trump, according to a New York Times/Siena poll. That’s why both sides are trying to pull all the votes to their side. Generally, celebrities tend to be more liberal and support Democratic candidates, but there are some notable cases of them supporting Republicans, such as rappers Anuel AA, Justin Quiles and Nicky Jam. Trump has referred to them as “shes” because he assumed they were women.
So the fact that Tim Waltz recorded a video joking around with Liza Colon Zayas (he calls her chef, like her character in “The Bear,” and she calls him coach) is more than an anecdote. It’s a thread that will reach and permeate many voters of different genders, ages and socioeconomic statuses, because campaigns target Latinos less commonly than they target other demographic groups, such as blacks or Asians, according to a Pew Research Center study.
That’s why the millions of dollars poured into campaigns are working. “Maybe it’s true,” says the professor. “In previous elections, Hispanic voter turnout has been lower than other demographic groups. This is the result of two factors: the relatively young average age of Hispanics in the United States (31 years old compared to 44 years old for non-Hispanic whites) and the fact that many Hispanics have roots in countries where democracy is not functioning well or does not exist. But this low turnout gives us an opportunity: it shows that there are many more Hispanics available for campaigns to mobilize, and who are not represented in political polls because they are not registered to vote.”
If Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris on the night of the election debate was key, with more than 400,000 people registering on the website Vote.org, experts and media agree that there is someone who can attract an equal or even larger number of people, many of them Latino and decisive, to the election: Bad Bunny. This Puerto Rican’s support for the candidacy could be a fundamental factor. Judging by his statements, he is more likely to support Harris than Trump, but he has not done so yet, with only 40 days left until the election. Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio will be important not only for the Puerto Rican community (who can only vote if they live in a state other than Puerto Rico, and Puerto Rico has no voting rights at the federal level), but also for the Latino community. But his compatriots are especially important. The state of Pennsylvania, which is key in this election, has the third largest population of islanders in the country, with a total of 300,000 voters.
Bad Bunny has already encouraged fellow Puerto Ricans to vote. He did so on a podcast on September 2, talking about the importance of voting. “I’m not in politics. Politics is in my life because it affects my country, Puerto Rico,” he said in a chat with El Toni. “I know politics is bullshit and nobody trusts the politicians in this country, but if you have the time to take out your voting card and go to vote… Damn, as young people, it’s so important to decide the future of the country we live in.” Moved and in tears, he said. “It’s good to denounce things on social media, it’s good to go out and protest in the streets, it’s good to feel like we are citizens, but I think the biggest protest is to go on November 5 and vote against the people who have led us to this outrage and scandal.” If he himself now makes it clear who he will vote for, the protests will be even louder.
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