A third of state's eligible Hispanic population isn't registered to vote, data shows
Thousands of people will head to the polls tomorrow for the primary election. This election, both parties are hoping to increase Hispanic voter participation this year.
The Republican party’s strategy includes recruiting more diverse candidates. In a statement to WRAL news, a spokesperson for the NCGOP said: "Republicans are committed to earning the votes of all Americans tired of the chaos at the southern border, the plague of fentanyl killing our fellow citizens, and inflation that eats more and more from families' paychecks. The pain of the Biden administration's harmful policies of the past four years is the best recruitment tool we could have."
Meanwhile, the Democratic party in North Carolina has revived its Hispanic caucus, in an effort to connect with the community across the state, especially in rural counties.
"This Hispanic Caucus is an attempt to reach out to that community in North Carolina that hasn't been reached out in past elections as much," said Albaro Reyes-Martinez, the caucus chair.
That starts with letting people in the state’s Hispanic community know that their voices and votes matter and getting them registered so they can cast ballots. According to the Census, there are more than 440,000 people in North Carolina who identify as Hispanic who are eligible to vote. But about 293,000 people who identify that way are actually registered. Meaning about a third of Hispanic people here who can vote aren’t even registered.
"When I talk to our community, I say, you we can be the difference, not a difference, the difference," said Gabe Esparza, a democratic candidate running for state Treasurer.
Esparza says that voting isn't yet in the fabric of the Hispanic community here in the state. It's what he and Reyes-Martinez, among others, are hoping to change.
"As we are so relatively recently arrived, we're just getting used to feeling like we understand the political process, let alone vote in numbers that are commensurate with the size of our population," said Esparza.
About 1 out of every 10 people in the state identify as Hispanic but when it comes to politics, that population is underrepresented.
In fact, Esparza – who is running against state Representative Wesley Harris, would be the first Latino to hold a statewide position, should he win Tuesday and again in November. Both men talked about often being the only voice representing the Hispanic community in a room when it comes to politics and the struggles with wanting to get involved but not having many representives they could look up to.
"We have to start reclaiming our own agency and our own voice and our own advocacy," said Reyes-Martinez.
Reyes-Martinez and Esparza say it’s important that whoever is on the ballot recognize that Hispanic voters aren’t a one-issue group focused on immigration but they’re like every other segment of the population – concerned about a variety of topics from education to the economy.
