Latino Electorates in Georgia Gain Attention in High-Stakes Senate Races

By Olive Marie First Posted: Nov 13, 2020 10:23 AM EST

Latino voters are not frequently at the forefront in terms of elections, particularly in Georgia. However, with the US Senate's control on the line, those expecting to turn out the growing constituency are not easing up.

According to an NBC News report, "which party ends up in the majority could come down to at least one runoff in Georgia," and possibly, a second.

Kelly Loeffler, One Republican incumbent, and Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, are already reportedly headed to a runoff after becoming the top vote-getters on Election Day itself, although unsuccessful I securing the majority needed for the absolute victory.

NBC News also reported that the race between Georgia's David Perdue, a Republican senator, and Jon Ossoff, a Democratic challenger is quite close to call. However, it may also be headed for a runoff.

Growing Latino Electorate in Georgia

According to the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials executive director Jerry Gonzalez, the Latino electorate in Georgia has been growing. Its turnout has also been increasing, leaving behind Latinos' national participation rates in 2016 and 2018.

Based on an analysis, Latinos comprise five percent of the voters of Georgia, with roughly more than 370,000 eligible-to-vote Latinos and around 250,000 registered.

In addition, an analysis of exit poll data presented that Latino voters favored "Joe Biden over President Donald Trump, 62 percent to 37 percent."

Commenting on the results, Gonzalez said, "It is a great position to be in" where the state can have control over the Senate. He added that Latino voters care about the accessibility of health care, response to COVID-19, the impact of the pandemic, and certainly, immigration reform.

Rise in Latino Immigrant Population

Georgia saw a striking increase in its immigrant population, particularly that of the Latinos, helping build a generation of American children of immigrants now voters. Gonzalez also said, the Georgia Latino voter, in general, is a millennial.

The executive director also explained that the carpet, agriculture, and service industry of the state are reliant on the immigrant Latino populace, including those who lack legal status. He also said, without this population, Georgia industry would collapse.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson for Warnock, Meredith Brasher, said the campaign had integrated Latino outreach into its campaign. Part of this outreach initiative is hiring a Latino coordinator.

Also part of the campaign is the holding of meet-and-greet events with Latinos, ad placements in the Latino print industry, development of websites in Spanish, and made the campaign message appropriate to Latinos' concerns. Brasher added, the campaign has hosted phone or text banking events, as well, intended specifically for Spanish Speakers.

'Voto Latino'

Voto Latino, focusing on registering and turning out Latino electorates, announced this week, it is reopening a voter registration campaign in Georgia.

It said registration for the runoff on January 5 could continue until December 7. Voto Latino is hoping to raise at least $2.5 million for this particular initiative.

In a statement, Voto Latino President and CEO Maria Teresa Kumar said, "This cycle is not over," and they would be investing heavily in Georgia to ensure all voters in the state have the opportunity of making their voices heard.

Meanwhile, Chuck Rocha, a Democrat political strategist and former senior adviser to the 2020 presidential campaign of Berny Sanders said, he is working to assist groups to turn out Latino voters in Georgia.