As all eyes turn to Tuesday's presidential debate between vice-president Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump, both major parties are ramping up their efforts to woo the coveted Latino vote. On Monday, for example, the Harris campaign launched a comprehensive policy platform called "New Way Forward" which, among other things, offers the first real glimpse at her immigration proposals.
Nevertheless, as a new TelevisaUnivision poll has revealed, over a quarter of the Latino voting population is still not completely certain about their choice of president. The presidential debate — the only one slated so far between the candidates — could prove to be crucial in this, as almost 7 in 10 Latino voters ranked debates as the most influential way to help them decide how to vote, according to the poll.
When asked about the impact of their information channels, debates (68%) outrank candidate interviews (64%), political programming and news (58%), articles and online publication (53%) and even party loyalty (50%) on the list. 53% of Latino voters also considers they need more information about the candidates and their positions on certain issues to confidently vote in November.
The study by TelevisaUnivision is especially relevant considering it compiles voters' views across nine battleground states: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin. The study's goal was to measure the current electoral landscape, assess voter sentiment towards current candidates and government bodies, understand key issues and their degree of importance as motivators to vote and compare and contrast Latino and non-Latino voters.
Overall, the Harris effect is notable among Latinos, as a whopping 62% of them have become much more likely to vote in November over the last few months. Nevertheless, uncertainty is still high, with 28% of Latinos are still not completely certain about their vote for president with less than two months to go before the elections.
Another telling insight from the study has to do with what issues might determine who Latinos cast their vote for. Abortion, for example, is top on their list of concerns (17%), followed by inflation (16%), cost of living (12%) and immigration (9%).
Overall, the study reveals that 39% of Latinos believe the U.S. is heading in the right direction, compared to 30% of non-Latinos.
Finally, the study concluded that messaging in Spanish is the most powerful, effective way of connecting with Latinos, as 73% appreciate when candidates communicate in that language and 66% claim that candidate who advertise in Spanish "are showing me they want my vote."
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