Latinos: No One Wants Our Votes [Poll]

A new Latino Decisions poll just released today has found that Latino voters aren’t feeling it–from either political party. I have been saying it all of my voting life:  You can’t expect our vote if you just point at the other side and say, “Look at what they’re doing.”

Bottom line, Democrats need to answer the tough questions, such as that of abolishing ICE, or whether they will do a repeat of Obama’s deportation policies if they become the majority, or will they finally get rid of private prisons. Of course, Latinos want to know where one stands on jobs/economy, health care, immigration and other issues. No doubt, we don’t like the Republican rhetoric behind all of these issues, but when it becomes public policy, well, a political party and its candidates must either defend and offer up solutions or end up causing the same voter apathy that has haunted the Democratic Party for decades. 

Ridding ourselves of Republican Party power might be a solution, but Latinos want to know what Democrats are going to do. Or else, we won’t have anything to call Dems out on if they win.

Anyway, here are the polls findings:

• Election 2018 is viewed as pivotal. Compared to the 2014 congressional elections, more than two in three Latino registered voters believe that it is more important to vote this year than in the previous midterm elections.
  

• Latino voters are still being ignored. With Election Day less than two months away, nearly 60 percent of Latino registered voters reported that they have not been contacted by a campaign, political party or organization asking them to register or vote.

• Both political parties have a lot of work to do. Results show that 45 percent of Latino registered voters polled believe the Democratic Party either does not care about or is hostile towards the Latino community.  This is in comparison to 79 percent of polled Latino registered voters who felt the same about the Republican Party, including 38 percent who believe that the Party is being hostile towards Latinos.

• Neither party has done a good job explaining what they stand for. Large percentages of Latino voters do not feel that the two parties have done a good enough job explaining what they stand for and what they would do if they won a majority in Congress (42 percent for Democrats; 61 percent for Republicans).

• Stopping attacks on Latinos ranks as a top priority. More than 31 percent of Latino voters view stopping President Trump and the Republican agenda, and putting an end to racist comments about Latinos, as the most important issues facing the Latino community.  Other top issues include lowering the costs of healthcare (20 percent), protecting immigrant rights (17 percent) and creating more jobs (13 percent).

• Latino voters consume news programming in both English and Spanish. Polling shows that 92 percent of Latino voters watch at least some news and current affairs shows in English, compared to 75 percent of Latino voters who view a portion of their news programming in Spanish. Nearly one-third of Latino voters reported viewing shows in both languages equally.

• The Latino electorate is ready to play a decisive role in Election 2018. More than 67 percent of polled Latino voters stated that they are certain to cast ballots in the congressional and statewide office contests this year.

Keep an eye out for more polls from Latino Decisions as we all head toward the finish line.