COLUMBIA, S.C. — Election season is getting closer, with only seven weeks left until election day.
According to the Pew Research Center, 32 million eligible Latino voters are projected across the country in November 2024. However, experts in South Carolina say the state is trailing behind others in turnout for the Latino vote.
“The Latino vote really is up for grabs for any party that wants to do that work and reach out to them and get them to turn out to vote,” Nina Cano said.
Cano is the founder of Charleston Vota, an organization that helps educate Latino community members on elections and registering to vote. She says the Latino population is growing, and with that comes more Latino voters.
“Of the 7% Latino population in South Carolina, 2% are registered to vote, and they are voting at high levels. Their voter participation rate is about 80%,” she said.
According to the PEW Research Center, Latinos are projected to make up 14.7% of all eligible voters in November across the country, but Cano said South Carolina struggles more than neighboring states.
“We look at states like Florida, North Carolina, Georgia -- our neighbors -- they have multiple community organizations trying to get out the vote," she said. "Here in South Carolina, we're a growing Latino population, but it's still small enough to where there might not necessarily be that community outreach happening immediately."
Cano says there are key things to know when it comes to the Latino vote.
“A lot of Latinos, who maybe were not born in the United States and obtained their citizenship later on in life, may not have never registered to vote or may not know how to go about it," she said. "The importance of community organizations reaching out to this populations is so important. Empowering the voters right with the issues, ensuring that the representatives that are running for office understand the needs of this population and what compels them to turn out to vote."
She added that voters could feel disenfranchised when the issues they care about aren't on the ballot or the people representing them don't keep them at the top of their minds.
Maritza Valerio recently became a citizen and will be voting for the first time in this election. She said the economy and immigration are issues motivating her to vote.
“Each president brings new ideas, and, for me, it's really important that all citizens vote to make a difference," Valerio said. "A difference for young people, seniors, for everyone in the country."
Cano said candidates must consider the interests of this community.
"In the past 10 years, we've had a 300% growth in the Latino population in South Carolina," she said. "To ignore this population would be devastating to our civics process.”
The deadline to register online to vote in South Carolina is Oct. 6, and the deadline to register in person is Oct. 4.