VIVA NOLA SEPTEMBER 2020

Economic Development
Presidential ELECTIONS 2020
Let’s all go out and vote!
By Alejandra Guzmán
@aleguzman
This year has been an
unprecedented one that has
brought a change in virtually every
area of our lives. COVID19 came to shake
us and force us to rethink many of the
processes we follow in our private, public,
and professional life. It has affected us so
much that we have talked very little about
the presidential election coming up in
November of this year.
In every election, we hear about the
group that will have the “power” to
influence who will be our next President.
Earlier this year, the New York Times
published an op/ed piece about the Latino
vote. The article mentions that, as it was
the case in 2016, if Democrats want a
chance to beat Donald Trump, they will
have to have the support of the Latino
voters. In 2016, the percentage of Latinos
who showed up to vote was low. More
than half of the 27 million Latinos with the
ability to vote stayed home.
Regardless of why this behavior occurred,
we must highlight that if the Latino
community wants to be represented, they
must go out and vote. It is important to
recognize the power Latinos have as a
community. This year, for the first time in
history, the Latino vote will represent 32
million people, the largest minority group
with the ability to vote in the United States.
“
The Latino
community is a strong
community that
contributes to the U.S.
economy in a meaningful
way. If we want
representation, we all
must go out and vote this
November.
I would like to see a President who
understands both the economic and
social challenges that affect the Latino
community. These include education, good
jobs, and access to health insurance among
other needs. It can be argued that everyone
in the country is going through challenges
in these same areas. However, the lens
used to look at our community should be
different. For example, many of our families
speak English as a second language and in
many cases, they are not bilingual. It is very
common for public schools to lack staff
with Spanish proficiency. Parents who do
not master English have difficulty supporting
their children, which causes an educational
lag, among many other problems. This
situation can snowball to bigger problems
like barriers to entry into other educational
and economic opportunities. In addition to
this, many members of our community are
still discriminated against, and others have
a legal status that needs resolution. These
conditions affect opportunities in all areas
of their lives.
Let’s also consider that Latino businesses
are essential to the success of the U.S.
economy. There are more than 4.7 million
Latino businesses in the country, and they
contribute more than $700 billion per year.
Despite these numbers, Latino businesses
still have barriers to access capital that
could allow them to scale their businesses.
The U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
estimates that there is a $1.38 trillion gap.
Although there are organizations dedicated
to supporting the Latino community through
their programs, partnerships, and lobbying,
the Latino vote is needed to improve our
community’s situation and to close these
gaps.
The Latino community is a strong
community that contributes to the U.S.
economy in a meaningful way. If we want
representation, we all must go out and vote
this November.
10 VIVA NOLA ~ September 2020