Latino Vote: Dispatches from the Battleground

By Bernardo Ruiz. A Co-Production of Independent Television Service and PBS, in association with Latino Public Broadcasting.

Voters in Nevada, Texas, Florida, and Pennsylvania could very well determine the next American president. Inevitably, organizers in both parties are strategizing, mobilizing, and prioritizing; one of the top priorities on both sides of the political divide is to engage Latino voters. Projected to be the largest voting-eligible ethnicity in the country, Latino voters are often sought after by both Republicans and Democrats as if they are a monolith. The reality falls outside of reductive red-blue confines, as illustrated by the Reverend Dr. Gabriel Salguero, who says of Latino Evangelical voters like himself, “We’re politically homeless.”

With both younger Latinos and new citizens joining the ranks of registered voters across the country, the growing magnitude of this cross-section of the electorate has clear political implications for the 2020 presidential election. But trying to woo voters based on their cultural similarities without factoring in their complex and varying individual interests could prove to be a losing game plan. Following activists, organizers, and others who are working to maximize Latino turnout in their local communities while simultaneously devoting their efforts to COVID-19 relief as the pandemic surges, LATINO VOTE: DISPATCHES FROM THE BATTLEGROUND delves into the high-stakes fight to activate Latino votes in these battleground states - and gives voice to newly registered Latino voters themselves about what the galvanizing issues are for them.

Watch LATINO VOTE and a whole collection of films as part of Hispanic Heritage Month and Your Vote 2020. Join the conversation with us on social media using the hashtags #WeAreLatinX/#SomosLatinX and #YourVote2020.