The 2024 elections are rapidly approaching, and much attention will be on the Hispanic vote. Recognized as the second largest population of Americans of voting age, Latinos will be an influential population for the political season and are not a constituency any party can take for granted.
As a Hispanic voter myself who has lived in two battleground states, Arizona and now Nevada, I have seen these states emerge as significant centers of political activity for Latino voters. Unlike outside operatives who often come in, I have learned a lot about our voting bloc in my daily work in my community.
Hispanics are a unique people, many with stories of struggles for the American dream. A lot of us left behind everything to provide a better life for ourselves and our families. Being a first-generation American is difficult — many of us come to this country and start from scratch without any connections.
However, we are not a monolithic group, and our backgrounds, as well as life experiences, are at the core of the matters we most care about. Latinos care about the economy, healthcare, national security, and our children and their future. How we vote in the elections will affect those issues, and our votes are not up for easy grabs.
Since becoming a parent, the matters I most cared about have shifted, and so has the realization that the only way I could ensure a better life for my child in this country was through his education. Often, media commentators miss this sentiment when evaluating Hispanic voters.
I experienced this firsthand, though. I worked for a teachers union, and although my work was motivated by a desire to reform an education system that has been failing students for decades, I quickly realized the unions cared more about politics. This pushed me to leave the union and join the school choice fight and work for education policy reform across this nation.
Day in and day out, I see how education choice becomes a more prevalent matter for any parent. But especially for Hispanic parents, who must endure a ZIP code-enforced system that does not provide their children with a quality education, the situation is even more urgent. This matter also takes precedence when parents have to sacrifice by working extra hard or juggling several jobs just to afford the ideal school for their child.
It is clear that something has to change. NAEP scores show Hispanic students lag behind their white counterparts in math and reading by up to two years. And it gets worse. In my state of Nevada, children in K-12 are not proficient in math or reading at any grade level. High school graduation rates show students with 19% proficiency in math and 46% in language arts. It’s no wonder the national trends show only 13% of all Latinos have a bachelor’s degree, and only 7% have a graduate degree.
As a first-generation Chilean American who has only been able to vote since becoming a citizen in 2015, I align myself with candidates who support allowing families to break this status quo.
I was once a Democrat, an independent, and now a Republican — I made the switch not because I agree with everything leaders in the GOP support but because I have to support education freedom.
As a matter of fact, the latest RealClear Opinion Research poll shows I’m not alone — 76% of voters surveyed say they are more likely to vote for someone who champions school choice in the elections.
Since 2015, I have voted for candidates who support my views on education, regardless of how I am registered. And research such as this Pew Research poll shows that Hispanics are likewise shifting. The margin of Latinos who voted for the Democratic Party is 21% smaller than in 2018.
I attribute these shifts in Hispanic voters to many different factors, but the most prevalent is the effects of the pandemic on student education, felt most severely among vulnerable student populations such as Hispanics.
The numbers don’t lie, but too many in the Democratic Party are still beholden to a system that is failing us. Many Hispanics might be inclined to stick with the Democratic Party, but we must put our children first.
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Hispanics are awakening to the fact that education is the key to success in this country, and that brings an opportunity for any party wanting our vote. Leaders in both parties should listen to voters, and voters are saying they will support candidates ushering in education freedom.
As voters, we Latinos have a responsibility to cast a ballot for the candidate who most aligns with our values. We have a responsibility to elect officials willing to provide educational opportunities for our children to break the cycle of poverty from prior generations. Most importantly, Hispanic voters have a duty to put into power leadership that fights for every inch of the American dream.
Valeria Gurr serves as a senior fellow for the American Federation for Children. She is a passionate advocate of educational choice, particularly for underserved families, and founded la Federación Americana Para los Niños. For more information, visit federationforchildren.org/staff/valeria-gurr.