the Family Equality Council.
I haven’t been as excited or felt so personally important in an
election in my lifetime. (Granted, I’ve only been eligible to
vote three Presidential elections, but still.) As a young,
politically active Latina from Texas working in the LGBTQ
community, I am especially invested in and motivated by this
incredibly important election.
Long seen as a lost cause, young voters, which are defined as
between the ages of 18 and 29, were not particularly courted by
major candidates due to their historic low voter turnout. But in
this primary cycle, the numbers for young voter turnout has
significantly
increased in each of the states where numbers for comparison
exist.
Not only are more young people coming out to vote this time around
than in elections past, but Latinos are playing a critical role on
the Democratic side as well. The Republicans had seen some success
with the Latino voting bloc in the last two elections, namely
because of President Bush’s success and experience garnering the
Latino vote during his time as governor in Texas. But the
disastrous consequences of a Bush White House and for many Latinos,
the moral and social issue of immigration, have led many people who
had once voted Republican turn favorably toward the Democratic
Party.
In addition, the Texas primary is actually in play since it’s the
first time in many elections that the nominee is not locked up by
the time their primary rolls around. My mother and sister have
camped out to wait in line for rallies for both candidates and are
thrilled to play more of a factor in an election, which the three
of us feel will seriously impact our lives in very specific
ways.
My mother, a middle-aged Chicana is part of one of the most coveted
demographic groups for the Democrats in this election. Another
constituency the Democrats are vying for is the LGBTQ vote. Hillary
Clinton has maintained a strong hold on this voting bloc, but Obama
recently launched an ad
campaign in major LGBTQ hubs in Texas and Ohio aimed at
loosening Clinton’s grip.
I am excited for the results of this election and feel so honored
to be playing such an integral role in the fight for the Democratic
nomination, based on the various facets of my identity.