Debunking the Myth of Monolithic Latino Vote
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Latinos are often considered a monolithic bloc, but a recent article debunks the monolithic myth, stating that Latinos, like the rest of the U.S. population, are diverse in their political opinions.

According to the data from Americas Society (AS)-Council of the Americas (COA), half of Latinos consider deportations of undocumented immigrants a critical policy goal for Washington, but 80 percent deem citizenship for the undocumented an important goal as well.

The disparity is also evident as AS-COA says the majority of U.S. Latinos think the government has done poor management in the U.S.-Mexico border problem, especially as far as asylum seekers are concerned. And yet more than half admit the U.S. is not responsible for taking in refugees from countries like El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

On the other hand, Latinos would agree with the rest of the country on issues of employment and healthcare, which they consider a top issue for Latino voters, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moreover, Latinos are hit harder by the COVID-19 outbreak than other groups. Roughly 61 percent of Latino homes claim somebody in their household has either taken a pay cut or lost their jobs. This number is compared to 49 percent for the overall U.S. population, says Mark Hugo Lopez, director of global migration and demography research at Pew Research Center, who also leads Pew's research agenda on the U.S. Latino community.

Nonetheless, Lopez said there are still a few key characteristics that set the Latino electorate apart.

For instance, almost half of U.S. Latino voters age 35 or younger and are often first-time voters. In comparison to white voters, that statistics is just one in five. Additionally, young Latinos have a higher presence on social media more than their peers from other groups.

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In an article by Latin Post, Latino millennials are more civically-engaged but are less likely to vote as revealed by a 2016 report from the Pew Research Center.

Younger Latinos also exhibit more approval in legal abortion and higher LGBT acceptance rate.

"We each have our core principles," said Murrieta, a 27-year-old who became a citizen in 2010. "Political parties should not be looking for the one perfect candidate who can talk to our issues. ... We're not monolithic in terms of partisanship. We're not one size fits all. Political parties are going to be very smart to realize this."

The good news for candidates who aim to win Latino support is that reaching out to them is one of the essential factors in getting them to turn out to vote in the 2020 elections.

Lopez also advised candidates that campaigning doesn't necessarily need to be in Spanish as three-quarters of eligible Latino voters were born in the United States, and English is the primary language for the majority of them.

"Focusing on just Spanish-speakers, while important, isn't necessarily always the best way to reach this group," Lopez said.