USA TODAY International Edition
Puerto Rican vote may be pivotal in Florida races
Parties fight for those displaced by hurricane
WASHINGTON – In the year since Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, political parties, candidates and voting rights groups have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to court residents who fled to the mainland, hoping to register them and get them to the polls. Though some displaced Puerto Ricans relocated to Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and New York, most settled in Florida, where get-out-the-vote efforts have been intense. Advocates and national political groups said the tens of thousands of islanders who settled in Florida are a potentially crucial voting bloc in a swing state that’s crucial in the midterms and known for razor-thin margins. “The truth is that Florida elections are so tight that any group could have an impact,” said Dario Moreno, a political scientist at Florida International University. “The question for many of the displaced Puerto Ricans is whether they have organized themselves politically … registered and are ready to vote in No-
vember because they’re new residents, they’re trying to put together their lives and all those concerns. “It’s very hard to tell at this point … what impact (they) will have.” National Democrats and Republicans hired community organizers and hosted workshops to help evacuees assimilate in their new communities. Republicans created a Puerto Rican Initiative to court them. Advocate groups hope to tap the pool of potential new voters. Faith in Florida, part of a coalition of civic engagement groups, aims to register at least 100,000 Puerto Ricans and leverage their political power in its effort to restore felons’ voting rights. “It’s a swing state with an opportunity for both parties to kind of capture this group that comes from a very, very high voting culture,” said Maria Revelles, organizing director for the group. “Puerto Ricans as a voting bloc ... have the potential of transforming the politics of Florida as we know it.” After Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico on Sept. 20, 2017, leading to an official death toll of 2,975, thousands of residents relocated to the mainland, particularly to central Florida, which offered them jobs in an established Puerto Rican community. Mi Familia Vota registered 30,000 new voters since April, said Nancy Batista, the group’s state director. Of those, 51 percent are of Puerto Rican descent, compared with the 27 percent who were part of the 33,000 the group registered in 2016. “We’re seeing presidential election numbers right now, which is unheard of,” Batista said. Hispanics make up a record 16.4 percent of the state’s registered voters, according to a report released Friday by the Pew Research Center. The number of Hispanics registering as Democrats has increased by about 5 percent since 2016, more than double the Republican rate of increase, the report found. There are 837,000 Hispanics registered as Democrats in Florida, 527,000 registered as Republicans and 775,000 registered with no party affiliation, Pew found. Much of the growth in Hispanic voter registration has been in counties with the largest Puerto Rican populations, according to the report. Officials face the challenge of teaching displaced Puerto Ricans different rules, said Rhode Island Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, co-chair of the Elections Commission for the National Association of Secretaries of States. On the islands, a U.S. territory, Election Day is a holiday, so no one has to take off work to vote. Citizens can cast ballots for local and territorial officials but not for U.S. president or a voting member of Congress. Florida election officials should make sure there are enough bilingual poll workers, materials in Spanish and polling sites, said Myrna Perez, deputy director of the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program. “I think that Florida has a lot of work ahead of itself.” A federal judge ruled last month that 32 counties must provide sample ballots in Spanish. Cowles said some counties are scrambling to translate the ballots. “There’s a lot of pressure,” he said. Democratic Rep. Darren Soto, the first congressman from Florida of Puerto Rican descent, emphasized that getout-the-vote efforts haven’t been limited to evacuees but targeted hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans already in the state. “Our community has been a big swing vote and important factor in major elections since 2008 when Barack Obama won the presidency,” he said. “If we come in, it ends up helping put folks over the top.” Soto said Puerto Ricans could make the difference for Democrats in competitive races, including that of Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, who could make history as the first black governor in Florida if he defeats Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis. Soto said they could help Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, who faces a challenge from Republican Gov. Rick Scott. Both candidates courted Puerto Ricans, visiting the island after the hurricane and pledging support for recovery. Historically, Hispanics in Florida have supported Democrats, including Obama and Hillary Clinton. But they also have supported Republicans, including Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio. “Republicans can make inroads if they work hard … spend resources and really court the community,” Moreno said.