Voters cast their ballot on the Super Tuesday, at a voting center in El Segundo, Calif., Tuesday, March 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
Findings from a new poll of registered Latino voters in California said that 73% of respondents are certain to vote in November, with 75% supporting the Black Lives Matter protests and 85% noting that discrimination against Latinos and immigrants is a problem right now.
However, the poll —conducted in August by the Latino Community Foundation (LCF)— noted that Latinos 18-25 were only 56% certain.
“Young Latinos are a crucial voter demographic with an estimated 1.6 million Latinos under age 25 eligible to vote in California,” LCF CEO Jacqueline Martinez Garcel said in a release. “Our democracy is stronger when we elevate their voices and address their concerns. It’s on all of us to support youth leaders mobilizing their peers to the polls.”
It is estimated that there are about 7.9 million eligible Latino voters in California for 2020.
The August LCF poll of 1,202 registered Latino voters in California also looked into issues of how the community is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, vote-by-mail as well as state ballot initiatives.
A webinar with California Secretary of State Alex Padilla and MALDEF President and General Counsel Tom Saenz was held on Wednesday to discuss the poll findings.
As for the pandemic, 47% of Latinos said it was the most important issue for the federal government to address. Other top issues were lowering the costs of health care, improving wages and creating jobs, stopping discrimination, protecting immigrant rights and criminal justice reform.
Other findings included the following:
- 75% of Latinos showed support for the protest following the death of George Floyd, a number that jumps to 86% among young Latinos.
- Overall, two-thirds thought police violence against Black people is a big problem today
- When asked about racism against immigrants and Latinos, 84% of Latinos felt that racism is a problem in the country.
This is the full presentation of the poll’s findings:
