After a new redrawing of districts in different states was carried out across the country, which were rethought based on what was reported in the 2020 Census, the Latino community in the state of Florida seeks to annul the maps that will be approved this week, as they point out that they do not allow the necessary and timely representation to be able to address their problems.
While it is true that more than a quarter of Florida's population is Latino, no districts are being created with a majority of this community, said Kira Romero-Craft, director of the Southeast region of Latino Justice, who noted that the new 28th Congressional District has been mapped in such a way that it is mostly "white."
"The constitutional amendments passed in 2010 in the State of Florida are failing to adhere to the Voting Rights Act because of the diminished power of Latinos and the failure to create majority-Latino districts," he stressed during a panel of experts held by Ethnic Media Services.
The Florida State Legislature is finalizing its redistricting maps, with 40 seats in the state Legislature and 28 in Congress. The proposed state Senate district map, however, would give Republicans a 23-17 advantage over Democrats and would allocate the party 16 of the 28 available House seats, including the new District 28.
“We continue to push the Legislature to comply with the Voting Rights Act and ensure that the creation of majority-minority districts is done wherever possible,” Romero-Craft said.
In that regard, he explained that minority communities in the state "have not been given the opportunity to testify on behalf of our communities that have experienced unprecedented growth, to ensure that the legislature listens to underserved communities and that they have the opportunity to elect representatives of their choice."
For Cecilia Gonzalez, a voting rights activist in Osceola County, Florida, this is a reflection of what is happening where she lives. She said: “The redistricting process happened behind closed doors. People were discouraged or outright denied access.”
The Latino population makes up 55 percent of Osceola County's population, yet they lack the necessary representation to have their needs heard.
"We realized that Latinos don't really have a voice in our government. Even when we have some Latinos in office, we are excluded from the decision-making process," he stressed.
She added that the Latino community must stop being a topic in the conversation and become part of it. "We want to participate in the redistricting process to make sure that those red lines are drawn accordingly."
He also explained that most immigrants want to feel a sense of belonging to a community and the way to achieve this is “when you are surrounded by people like you, and when you choose people who fight for your needs.”
"We need to create a victory that allows Latinos and candidates other options that make us feel like we belong; and the reality is that until we have a free process for choosing districts, we will not have fair representation and our fight will not end," he stressed.
For Johanna Lopez, who sits on the Orange County, Florida, school board, having her community properly represented at the state and federal levels is critical to receiving adequate resources, especially when three-quarters of school-aged children in the county identify as Latino, while 74 percent qualify for the federal free lunch program.
"If we don't have fair representation, we will suffer the consequences. We are seeking equal access, equal opportunities. We are here to contribute and receive the services we deserve," she said.
In light of this, she stressed that not involving communities of color in the redistricting process "is an unprecedented abuse of power," since in the next 10 years there will be no fair representation for communities such as the Latino community.
"Our voice is often diluted by the needs of the surrounding communities - Caucasian - with whom we do not share the same challenges and needs," he said.
And, he explained, before any redistricting, "so that our voices and our needs can be heard by our representatives, we need substantial and easily accessible public hearings."
Father José Rodríguez, vicar of the Episcopal Church Jesus of Nazareth, whose parish serves many undocumented immigrants and Latinos, explained that electoral lines artificially divide the community, diminish the voice of the Latino community, and prevent neighbors from joining their voices to be heard.
He added that Florida's redistricting efforts constitute a conscious effort to erase the voting power of Latinos.
“This feels like an attack on our community. It makes it seem like we don’t exist. They’re making us disappear off the map,” she said.
"If you diminish our people and divide them up among the different districts, their votes are diminished and they don't have the same standing as their neighbors. I'm really worried that in the future, redistricting is going to get worse and so they'll find other ways to diminish us."
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