The phenomenon of voting in the United States has changed over the years, modified by the arrival of immigrants to the country, so considering them for the next elections will be decisive in the results of the 2024 elections.
For Karthick Ramakrishnan, professor of public policy at the University of California at Riverside, founder of AAPI Data and co-founder of California 100, Joseph Biden and Kamala Harris are considered favorable allies for adults in the AAPI community, He said this during a media conference held by Ethnic Media Services.
As part of the data that has been obtained from his report, he shared that 86 percent of those interviewed consider that racism is a serious problem, 51 percent say that it is something very serious and, when it comes to hate crimes, 34 percent say that it is something very serious. percent reported being the victim of a hate incident and 23 percent of verbal harassment.
Karthick Ramakrishnan added: ?We have seen variations among the Chinese-American population, who are closer to the Democrats?, when referring to the elections.
Claudia Sandoval, associate professor of Political Science and International Relations at Loyola Marymount University, commented that in 2024 many young people will have the opportunity to vote for the first time, with approximately 22 percent of Latinos who will be able to vote, while a 38 percent of the Latino electorate is new to the political sphere since 2016.
And the number of Latino voters has been increasing and it is expected that as the elections progress, more people from this community will have the opportunity to vote. The median age for all eligible voters is closer to 50, while the median age for eligible Latino voters is 39..
?Latino people born and raised in the United States are the ones who are really changing the political and democratic landscape, so we can think about decisive votes such as in Nevada and California, which are the states where we are seeing an increase in young Latinos voting.? added Claudia Sandoval.
In Nevada from 2016 to 2020, Biden lost support with 4 percent of the Latino vote, while Trump gained an 8 percent lead.
?We have seen that young Latino men have more empathy for Trump than other Republican candidates, although this does not necessarily mean a Latino vote for Trump?, commented Sandoval.
The expert considered that the Democratic Party still cannot "declare victory" for appearing to have favoritism with Latinos, since 37 percent of Latino voters believe that Biden and the Democratic Party do not necessarily care about the Latino community, so anything can be expected.
?I would say that the candidates have to wake up and know that they have to use the power that the Latino vote has; If the parties invest, they will see a number of voters that has never been seen since Obama?, ended Sandoval.
Ta'jin Pérez, deputy director of Western Native Voices, said that of black women voters they have preferred Biden, with 95 percent of them supporting him and 87 percent of men.
The conversation about staying at home to not go out to vote is a very common discourse among the Afro-descendant community, he said, because they feel that they are not truly considered, since they do not perceive themselves as fully represented, they believe that it is necessary to work for more laws that favor them to have a real change.
?In 2024, people of African descent see a moment they needed to present themselves towards democracy or are tired of presenting themselves again and again without seeing the benefits in terms of policies?, commented Ta'jin Pérez.
In that sense, he pointed out that the parties are not reaching vulnerable communities. There is much more to do, he explained, which is why it is thought that the Afro-descendant community will not change their vote, but they do find themselves thinking that it is better not to go to vote taking into account that the economic situation is not so favorable for them.
Jessica Siles, deputy press secretary of Voters of Tomorrow, an organization founded in 2019 that seeks to be a representative of generation Z in politics, said that young people must be more considered for this process, since they will be the future of the country, for what your organization brings this group of the population closer to political issues.
?Our work goes beyond the election, we engage politicians to engage and represent Generation Z?, he added Siles.
Some of the things they have done in the organization recently were in the 2022 election, where they contacted millions of young people through social networks, but also in person in more than 20 states.
In Virginia, for example, more than 300,000 calls were made and they sought to reach out to more young people to get them involved, explaining to them why it is important for them to be part of the political sphere.
In 2022, young people voted for the Democratic Party, however, it is not a phenomenon of fashion or disinterest, in reality, he explained, they seek to identify themselves in the proposals that arrive, which will really determine their vote.
In 2018, the youth bloc was a little higher than in 2022, now their vote suffers from a lack of participation and information, so many young people are not contacted and this discourages them from taking part in the elections. .
Finally, the experts agreed that the candidates must find a way to approach young people and involve them, seek to reach the schools where they are located, but also the vulnerable communities where almost no one turns around, Latinos and Afro-descendants as well as the AAPI community. (Asian-American and Pacific Islanders) who are the ones who will now be marking the elections in 2024.
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