STOP SCAPEGOATING LATINO VOTERS. GET THE STORY STRAIGHT.

Latino votes elected Biden

Before the long wait of election returns, AP calls and endless memes about Nevada, the major networks seemed obsessed over the Latino vote. In short, pundits doubled down on blaming Latino voters, erroneously asserting that not enough Latinos turned out to vote and that we were to blame for President-elect Joe Biden’s losses in Florida and Texas. Once again, Latinos, who have long been both invisible and disposable, were election night’s easy scapegoat.

The two-step storyline and uncritical analysis is not surprising. Latino media executives, journalists and expert commentators are rare, and even when Latinos are the topic of conversation, we are not invited to the table.

Given the pundits’ track record, I wasn’t surprised that record turnout in the 2020 election by Latinos wasn’t even mentioned. I wasn’t surprised the media didn’t have Latino experts or talk to Latino voters, organizers or community leaders. So let’s get the story straight. They failed to see record voter turnout of Latinos, especially Latinas who cast a ballot at higher rates than their male peers, which was icing on the cake for Democratic wins in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada and, of course, Arizona. As for Georgia, when Georgia’s election is certified on Nov. 20, it will be Latino and Black voters who provided President-elect Biden the win.

Latino organizers, not political parties, are responsible for building political movements, culminating in turning Arizona blue and sending two Democrats to the U.S. Senate. The grassroots organizers in Arizona have been mobilizing voters with a fraction of resources. They defeated 24-year incumbent Sheriff Joe Arpaio, battled anti-latino hate in the courts and are on the verge of fielding a successful Democrat in 2022 for the governor’s mansion. Arpaio, who was convicted for contempt of court for his racist and unconstitutional actions, earned an early pardon from President Donald Trump. There is true poetic justice in Latino voters carrying Arizona for the Democrats. This is reminiscent of California’s former Gov. Pete Wilson, who led anti-immigrant efforts in the 1990s, helping to ensure that, in the 21st century, California is the easiest 55 electoral votes any Democratic candidate running for president can secure. Latinos played a critical part in that, too.

According to the Pew Research Institute, there are 32 million eligible Latino voters in the U.S. who make up 13 percent of the nation’s eligible voters. UCLA’S Latino Policy & Politics Initiative is estimating that 14.8 million Latinos cast a ballot this year, 2.1 million more than in 2016. Historic turnout by Latinos is impressive despite a

health pandemic that has disproportionately impacted Latinos, active efforts to suppress the vote and the looting of the Voting Rights Act in 2013. Latino voters are too often taken for granted, ignored altogether or invited to prom the night before the dance because your date panicked and realized he needed you.

The media are not the only ones leaving Latinos out with their unsophisticated storylines. So are both major political parties and most campaigns. When campaigns realize they need to engage Latinos, it’s often too little, too late. The result? Usually, they settle on a Spanish language media strategy and call it their Latino voter engagement plan. Don’t get me wrong, every Latino engagement strategy should include Spanish language and first-generation immigrant engagement — but it should never be your entire strategy. In case you didn’t know, more than 70% of Latinos speak English, consume English media and won’t see any of your Spanish language outreach. In addition, like most voters, we prefer to hear from you directly or from trusted community leaders who understand our concerns and don’t just come calling a few weeks or months before the election.

Any effective campaign must include experts with experience in the communities they seek to engage. Real resources to ensure organizers can go door to door, register voters and make sure those voters turn out. We also want to see you deliver on promises made and are watching for how your policies affect us. Latinos are not all the same, nor do they blindly support one candidate or party as this election demonstrated. However, in states that Presidentelect Biden won by a narrow margin, we saw record voter turnout by Latinos. We also saw: Most Puerto Rican Americans didn’t forget President Trump’s failed response to Hurricane Maria and voted for Biden. A majority of Cuban Americans didn’t forget Trump’s anti-castro promises and voted for Trump. And most Mexican-americans didn’t forget how Trump launched his campaign attacking us or how he has dealt inhumanely with immigrants at the border, especially the forced separation of 4,300 children from their parents.

Latino voters, especially women and Generation Z, are engaged. Will we continue to be blamed or will the media and future campaigns look in the mirror and make it a priority to engage, invest and take us seriously?