As Georgia U.S. Senate Runoff Election Wraps Up, Latinx, Youth Voters Vote their Voice
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 9, 2022
CONTACT:
Jackie Smith | 989-576-1996 jsmith@poderlatinx.org
As Georgia U.S. Senate Runoff Election Wraps Up, Latinx, Youth Voters Vote their Voice
NATIONWIDE - Latinx and youth voters were decisive voting blocs in the outcomes of the 2022 races across the country. This midterm election cycle had the second-highest youth voter turnout in the past three decades, and Latinx voters, the second-largest group of voting-age Americans, affirmed their power as a crucial voter demographic. Final voter turnout numbers will be officially reported in February or March when voter file records are updated. According to the 2022 Midterm Election Voter Poll, conducted by the African American Research Collaborative, inflation and gas prices, cost of health care, and abortion rights were top priorities for voters, with strong support for policies to address these issues.
For the Georgia U.S. Senate runoff election, Poder Latinx made over 189,000 calls, knocked on close to 37,000 doors, had 9 billboards, and launched a poll monitor program. Election Day PSAs sponsored by Poder Latinx were broadcasted across digital platforms and television, including “Georgia on My Mind,” performed by Las Cafeteras, and La Borinqueña.
Poder Latinx has released the following statements on the 2022 midterm elections:
“Poder Latinx commends the power of the youth and Latinx vote and the role they played in the 2022 midterm elections. After the 2022 general midterm elections results, we were concerned about Latinx voter enthusiasm and turnout. By November 9th, we pivoted to the U.S. Senate runoff election in Georgia, investing all our time, energy, and resources to convince voters to cast their ballots again. I’m proud to share that our team didn’t stop the work - we continued and expanded our voter engagement efforts until the very last minute, and it paid off. On Election Day, we saw that the Latinx community got out the vote. Senator Warnock’s victory was largely due in part to the work done by Black and brown communities. Precincts with large Latinx communities, many of which are in Gwinnett County, voted Warnock at 74.2%. Our community in Georgia is growing, and we have to continue voting to show our power,” said Yadira Sanchez, Executive Director of Poder Latinx.
“These midterm elections have been all about building community and increasing Latinx power in Georgia. This process was both internal and external; the makeup of our canvassers largely included first-time voters and individuals civically engaging for the first time. While we provided voter education resources to voters, we also prepared our team to go to the field equipped with the necessary knowledge to talk to voters and inform them of resources available to them to make voting the least burdensome activity possible. We put language accessibility at the center of every program, as bilingual messaging is a key part of our mission while engaging the Latinx community. Our voting resources and literature were provided in English and Spanish, and our canvassers and phone bankers talked to voters in the language they were comfortable with. A huge applause goes out to our Georgia organizers, the coalition at Progress Georgia, and the Poderosas and Gen Z activists, who each had an immense role at every level of this election. I was born and raised in this state, and was given the opportunity and trust to lead our runoff election program to knock on the doors of my fellow neighbors to inform them they had to vote one more time, and lead our canvassers and volunteers to do the same. Organizing in Gwinnett County gave me the sense that I was giving back to the community that raised me. I am hopeful for what this outcome will bring for the people of Georgia, and Poder Latinx will continue knocking down barriers to language access and doing our part to create viable elections infrastructure to get the community out to vote in each and every election. Si se pudo!,” said Leslie Palomino, Senior Canvass Lead of Poder Latinx.
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Poder Latinx is dedicated to building a sustained progressive voting bloc of Latinx voters in battleground states across the country.