How Latinos Voted in 2020 by the Latino Policy & Politics Initiative

Now this really energized me. Interesting and encouraging analyses of the Latina/o vote by the Latino Policy & Politics Initiative at UCLA based not on exit poll data, but actual ballots cast, resulting in the most reliable data possible.  

The results are impressive, demonstrating "a 30.9% increase, nearly double the nationwide 15.9% growth in ballots."  Overwhelming, votes went toward Biden even in Florida where Biden beat Trump by a margin of 2 to 1. 

When one considers that "The participation and overwhelming support for President-elect Joe Biden from youth of color was one of the defining elements of the election," the Latina/o vote has emerged as a powerful, if not formidable, force in the future of the U.S. electorate.

Now, our task is to protect the franchise, not only challenging voter suppression laws, but also resisting the miseducation of our youth that the republican party seeks via its bogus anti-Critical Race Theory agenda. And while we're at it, let's eliminate mental testing and create assessment systems that honor the wealth, wisdom, knowledge, and ways of knowing that our communities bring to our local contexts everywhere. After all, we are all mostly indigenous, including Afro-Indigenous, to this continent and we have survived over 500 years of domination driven by European expansionism and on-going colonialism (e.g., Mexicans Didn't Immigrate To America -- We've Always Been Here by Pedro Garza.)

Notwithstanding current attempts to disenfranchise Latinas/os and other people of color, Latinas/os are poised to propel this country toward a bright and prosperous future. In fact, it's already happening. 😊

Sí se puede! Yes we can!

You can download the full report at their website here. I share the executive summary or overview below.

-Angela Valenzuela

 

Overview:

This report offers a comprehensive look at the Latino vote in the 2020 presidential election by analyzing votes cast in 13 key states that are home to 80% of the nation’s Latinos.  By analyzing ballots cast rather than relying on exit polls, we reduce errors that emerge in exit interviews due to small samples, unrepresentative selection of survey respondents, incomplete understanding of early and absentee voters, and language bias.

Main Findings:

1. We estimate that 16.6 million Latino voters cast a ballot for the 2020 presidential election nationally. This represents a 30.9% increase, nearly double the nationwide 15.9% growth in ballots cast between the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections. This was the single largest 4-year increase in Latino vote ever.
2. 
   
3. Latino voters supported the Democratic candidate, Joseph R. Biden, by very wide margins across the country, and consistent with margins won by Obama in 2008 and 2012.
   • Latino voters supported Biden over Trump by a nearly 3 to 1 margin in the counties we analyzed in Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
   • Latinos chose Biden over Trump with a 2 to 1 margin or larger in the counties we analyzed in Texas, Georgia, and Washington, and in Florida outside of Miami-Dade.
4. In Arizona, the size of the Latino electorate and their overwhelming support for Joe Biden flipped the state from Republican to Democrat for the first time since 1996.
5. 
   
6. In Georgia and Wisconsin, where the difference between the winning and the losing candidate was roughly 12,000 and 21,000 votes, Latino voters’ strong support for Biden and growth in votes cast helped tip the state in favor of the Democratic candidate.
7. 
   
8. In Florida, the Latino vote is diverse and unique from the rest of the nation. Latinos in Miami-Dade supported Trump by a 2 to 1 margin, but Latinos in the rest of the state preferred Biden with a 2 to 1 margin. Overall, a majority of Latinos in Florida voted for Biden, not Trump.