What’s in a Name?   Chasing the “Latino” Vote

Cuban refugees arriving in Miami during the Mariel Boat Lift in 1980, one of the most significant waves of migration contributing to the Cuban American population. (U.S. Department of Homeland Security / public domain)

It is a beautiful thing to honor one’s history and culture and celebrate one’s heritage. Every year the contributions of Hispanics/Latinos living in the United States are acknowledged by National Hispanic American Heritage Month (September 15–October 15) with parades, festivals, live music, great food, and other cultural events. It is an opportunity to explore our observable differences and appreciate our shared aims to live in peace and prosperity.

Many of our number were not born in the United States but have chosen this nation as their home and are proud Americans. Some choose to fight overseas to keep America safe while others fill essential functions, risking their health and sometimes their lives in the process. It is easy in the press of everyday burdens to forget how much the Hispanic community is an integral part of the American experience. We unconsciously pass by culturally permeated restaurants, street signs, or adobe homes, and all too often we fail to appreciate the permanency of the Latinx community.

Diversity vs. Homogeneity

So, who are these Hispanic/Latino/Latinx folks? And do those names signify a difference? Apparently, “Hispanic” refers to language (Spanish, not Portuguese) and Latino/Latinx to geography (the Caribbean, Central America, and South America, including Portuguese-speaking Brazil). But for all intents and purposes, the terms have been used to lump distinct groups together. Latinos know that there is a difference. During election season, pollsters and campaigns try to figure it out—usually getting it wrong as they seek to reach the Latino voting bloc.

The only unifying factor is the externally perceived homogeneity of the community. And this unifying factor, among some Anglos, is often that we are all “not quite American,” suspected of being illegal, anchor babies, foreign. Papers, please.

Voting “Patterns”?

FiveThirtyEight, a website that focuses on opinion poll analysis, has been wrestling with this question when trying to explain the “Latino vote.” They have discovered that “There is no such thing as the Latino vote.” Citing a recent poll conducted by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), a nonpartisan organization, they note that Latino voters can be quite different from one another depending on age group, family’s country of origin, education, and economic status. Two other distinguishing factors play into the political leanings of Latinos: the immigration status of new arrivals to the mainland, which vary greatly, and gender: Women’s voting patterns are different from those of their male counterparts.

Surveys from the Pew Research Center (pewresearch.org) show that 50 percent of Latinos most often describe themselves by their family’s country of origin. Only 23 percent use the terms Latino or Hispanic to define themselves. Yet others prefer American—an indisputable truth, since all are residents. This makes messaging to Latinos difficult, requiring specific targeting to be effective.

Electoral Impact—Undeniable, Unpredictable

So, how will the Latino community influence the upcoming presidential election? In a recent poll, NALEO found that most Latinos lean toward the Democratic Party and approximately 20 percent lean Republican. There are roughly 32 million Latino voters, comprising about 10 percent of the U.S. population. Splitting the Latino vote could make a big difference in states and counties where the margins are tight. Cubans represent a small proportion of the Latino community but make up a substantial portion of the electorate in Florida. They lean Republican amid fears of a socialist takeover. Puerto Ricans lean Democratic.

Perhaps the key point is revealed in a study conducted by Univision in 2019, which found that during the 2018 elections, “the turnout rate among the youngest Hispanic voters aged 18–24 exploded by an average of 170 percentage points in California, Texas, Nevada, New York, Illinois, Florida, and New Jersey. Among voters aged 25–34 it was 128 percent.” This shows the overall growth of the Latino population coupled with an increase in civic engagement. It is useful to note that the Latino population is also young and that young voters are unreliable across the U.S. population; life’s struggles get in the way. So let us not assume that the “Latino vote” will tip the scales in any one predictable direction.

The Hispanic/Latino/Latinx community collectively enjoys a rich cultural life with unique contributions from each country of origin. What’s in a name? The point is that we are here, have been here since before the Roanoke Colony and founding of Jamestown, and will live our lives here. Here we will vote in the presidential election. Here we will have our voices heard.

—Martha Y. Zavala