Young Latino voters in Texas name health care for all as their top priority, a groundbreaking survey of more than 1,000 young Texans finds. Permanent protections for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients—Texas is home to the second-largest population of beneficiaries in the nation—rank a close second.
“The Latinos we interviewed,” says the report from Jolt Initiative, Ethnifacts, and US-ness, “demonstrated a deep understanding of the issues they cared about and were most motivated by liberal issues, including universal healthcare, protection for DREAMers, racial and ethnic equality and justice, economic prosperity, and raising the minimum wage.”
And these issues are personal. In a state where one in three Latinos do not have health insurance, state Attorney General Ken Paxton (indicted on state securities-fraud charges) is leading the latest Republican effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. “We’re being taxed but we don’t have healthcare,” survey recipient Jose said. “I’m a server in a restaurant … how do you expect me to pay $400 per month? Meet us halfway.”
Others expressed support for putting young immigrants facing deportation onto a path to citizenship. “I have friends who depended on DACA and one friend was going to college and had dreams of doing what they wanted, and now they can’t,” 28-year-old David said. “They are now working at some manual labor job so they can save money and prepare to get deported. It’s saddening that something like this can happen.”
But while Texas stands to become majority minority in just a matter of time, young voters cited distrust and feelings of being overlooked by political parties. “Our study reported that 50% of respondents were cynical about voting, answering that they did not trust politicians, did not think voting made a difference, or did not think ‘people like me have a say.’” The researchers stress “that investments are needed in educating and reaching Latinos and shifting messages to be more positive, unbiased and focused on key issues that matter to Latinos.”
Still, there is important work being done that must be acknowledged. Young people led efforts to block the state’s racist “show me your papers” law, and “We Are Texas researchers found that Latina women are taking the lead on crucial efforts to turn out the Latino vote … generally, Latina women have higher rates of voter registration than their male Latino counterparts. Most striking, in the youngest cohort, ages 18 to 24, just 27% of Latino men are registered compared to more than half (52%) of Latina women.”
“Anyone that cares about this state and its future must read this report and take its recommendations seriously,” said Jolt’s Cristina Tzintzún in a statement. “Texas cannot solve any of the major problems that our state faces without the voices, experiences and issues of Latinos being fully represented in our government.”