| Written by Maria Elena Salinas |
| Tuesday, July 06 2004 |
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| The voters have spoken, and now it's the candidates' turn to listen. For too long, Latino voters have been listening to the voices of politicians, of the media and of pollsters telling them what issues are important to them. But now the voters themselves got an opportunity to say, in their own words, what they care about, what concerns them, what they are looking for in a presidential candidate and what is going to help them make up their minds on who to vote for come Nov. 2.
Voces del Pueblo, or Voices of the People, was a series of town-hall meetings held from March through June in five cities with large concentrations of Latino voters: Los Angeles, Houston, New York, Miami and Chicago. The forums, organized by NALEO -- National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials -- and media partners, provided a platform for voters to speak out and express their concerns about the way things are going in the country, in their states and in their communities. The information is summarized in a report that will be given to both Democrats and Republicans at their respective conventions.
Let's hope they read it and realize that the patronizing sombrero-and-mariachi politics they have been following up to now is not enough. When a candidate campaigns in Miami, you can bet he will lay out his policy on how to get rid of Fidel Castro and bring democracy to Cuba. When campaigning in border states, immigration automatically becomes the issue. And a more diverse Hispanic audience could merit a speech on policy toward Latin America.
While those issues are important to Latino voters, the candidates need to remember that they are also Americans -- albeit hyphenated Americans, but no less American than the next guy, or they would not have the right to vote.
So, what do Latino voters care about? It's the economy, stupid, and it's education, big time. Education and the economy were by far the most important issues that came up in the forums, three of which I had the opportunity to attend. There is a huge concern among voters that Latino students -- who have the highest high-school dropout rate in the country -- are not being prepared for the challenges they will face in the future. Education is intimately linked to the economy and the lack of well-paying jobs.
Lack of access to health care, the high cost of medicine, a more compassionate immigration policy and the war in Iraq were other issues that dominated the group discussions. Other findings are that many Latino voters feel ignored by campaigns and candidates. They see the use of the Spanish language in a campaign as a show of respect to their culture, but they give more importance to a candidate's understanding of and sensitivity to what is important to Latinos. And honesty, integrity and moral values are the traits they are looking for in a candidate who represents "all" Americans.
Presumptive Democratic candidate John Kerry seems to have gotten the message early. Within a four-day period, he spoke in front of two of the most influential national Latino organizations: the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials and the National Council of La Raza. Kerry, as expected, spelled out what his immigration and Latin American policies would be should he become president. But he also spoke about education, jobs and access to health care -- issues that are on top of Hispanic voters' lists.
The voters who participated in the NALEO forums were as diverse as they come in age, gender and ethnicity. Most were bilingual, and they ranged from ages 18 to 81. Sixty-three percent were naturalized citizens; 37 percent were native-born. Naturalized citizens and first-time voters tend to vote in higher numbers, and are less likely to feel committed to one party or the other since they don't have a history of identifying with either one.
The Latino vote is up for grabs, and in a tight race where just a few hundred votes can make a difference, the 16 million potential Latino voters are waiting to see if the candidates in the upcoming election will hear the voices of the people. |
