Latino voters make a big impact on the 2020 Presidential Election

OSWEGO, N.Y. — This year’s presidential election will likely set records. However, one record is already set in place. 

According to CNN’s Latino Instagram, Latinos are the nation’s largest non-white voters with 32 million making up 13% of all eligible voters. Alongside the millions of new millennial and gen z voters, about 40% of latinos voting are the age 18 to 35. 

“You know we really need to vote and have our voices heard because they haven’t been heard the past couple of years and I think now with this insurgence of, you know, politically charged young people I think that’s really why we’ve had such an increase in voters,” said Alexa Cox, a latina student at SUNY Oswego. 

The vice president of SUNY Oswego’s Latino Student Union, Jennifer Vargas, explained why it’s important for latinos to vote. 

“Like some people think it will not affect us because we easy can go back to our country and you know, and start a whole new life,” said Vargas. “But we came here like to prove ourselves, to get a better life, so I think it is important for us to vote if we’re trying to get that better life and a better job.”

One woman’s tweet recently went viral after she shared the story of her dad’s experience with voter suppression. The worker assumed he did not speak english and told him he wasn’t registered but was proven wrong. 

“Sadly, things like this go on, you know, we’ve had it happen in the 2016 presidential election where people are saying that they will go to vote and they’re being turned away,” said Cox. “There are plenty of Latinx community members who, sadly, only speak Spanish and would not have been able to fully communicate on their behalf.”

“When he said he’s registered already and it needed to be stopped there,” said Vargas. “It’s no point on her to keep asking him because he already said he registered. So, I feel like that’s disrespectful and that just put like the stereotypes about like, you know, that Latinos that we don’t care, we’re here just for the money.”

Despite concerns with voting across the country, millions have already voted early or sent in absentee ballots.