Editorial:
Many of the issues that face the Hispanic community: immigration, border security, racist public policy, education, housing, employment, all these and more and can be addressed on election day if Hispanic voters get out and vote!
When Hispanics show up at the polls, politicians will have to sit up and take notice and take into account their relationship with the Hispanic community. If the Hispanic community in Escondido comes out and votes, that city would not respond to that community with stepped up ICE patrolling or police checkpoints targeting the Hispanic community. The draconian political actions taking place in Arizona, police stops, elimination of Chicano Studies and the banning of certain books, would not occur.
There would be a political price to pay for anti-Hispanic policies.
We have all talked about and continue to talk about the importance of voting. The block of Hispanic voters is much sought after and can swing an election. The fear is that someday this block of voters will actually come out and vote!
But as a community, the sad fact is that we do not vote. Since 1986 the Hispanic voter turnout has dropped from 38% to 31% in 2010. Blacks vote at a 44% rate and Whites vote 49% of the time. In 2010 there were 6.6 million voters out of 21.3 million eligible voters. Yet despite the low percentage, it was still a record number of Hispanic voters due to population increases.
In 2014 there are 24.8 million eligible voters. If the Hispanics come out and vote at a rate equal to the Black voter that would equal 11 million voters. That would cause a seismic shift in attitudes and public policy toward the Hispanic community.
But nothing much will change if the Hispanic voter choses to stay home and not cast their vote on Nov. 4. The ball is in the hands of you, the voter. What are you going to do?