Georgia’s Latinx Voters Are Poised to Make Change in 2018
By Jerry Gonzalez, Executive Director, GALEO
Thirty years ago, President Ronald Reagan signed groundbreaking legislation that established September 15 through October 15 to be a month of celebration of Hispanic achievement, leadership and excellence. Just two years later, the 1990 United States Census reported that out of 6.5 million Georgians, 108,9221 were of Hispanic origin. Given that Latinxs made up a mere 1.7 percent of Georgia’s population, the Latinx community across the state was young and had access to a very limited scope of influence.
That was 28 years ago. Today, Georgia paints a very different picture.
The most recent census estimates indicate that 10 percent of Georgians are of Hispanic descent. Out of 10 million Georgians, an estimated one million were Latinx, accounting for more than a quarter of the state’s overall population growth from the previous census. In addition, it is estimated that 18,000 children of immigrants become eligible to register to vote every year in the Peach State. By the 2016 election, the Latinx electorate surpassed 241,000 registered voters statewide.
It’s disappointing that at both federal and state levels, politicians continue to propose legislative initiatives that unfairly target immigrant and minority communities. Nevertheless, in 2012, only 47 percent of the Latinx electorate in Georgia participated in the election.
While these numbers were discouraging, the 2016 election generated a far more energized Latinx electorate. In fact, 53 percent of Latinx voters in Georgia participated in the 2016 election, besting the national average by more than six percent.
The growing power of Latinx voters in Georgia can especially be seen in metro Atlanta, where the number of registered Latinx voters surged in counties including Gwinnett, Cobb and DeKalb. Between 2012 and 2016, for instance, more than 10,000 Latinxs had registered as new voters in Gwinnett, and more than 7,000 registered in Cobb. This raised the percentage of Hispanic voters in Gwinnett to 10 percent of the total electorate.
The Latinx community in Georgia clearly has the potential to turn the electoral tide.
In 2014, Republican incumbent Nathan Deal defeated Jason Carter by a margin of 200,445 votes in the race for the governor’s mansion. Then, in 2016, Donald Trump won Georgia’s 16 electoral votes, coming out 211,141 votes ahead of Hillary Clinton. Both of these margins were significantly smaller than the total number of registered Latinx voters in Georgia.
To dismiss the needs of the Latinx community in 2018 is to disregard the demands of 10 percent of Georgia’s population.
Still, the true impact of the Latinx vote in Georgia stands out even more at the local level, where elections are decided by even tighter margins. Just last July, the Democratic primary held two runoff elections for the sixth and seventh congressional districts. In Georgia’s sixth district, Lucy McBath beat Kevin Abel by fewer than 2,000 votes, and in the seventh district runoff, Carolyn Bourdeaux defeated her opponent, David Kim, by only 600 votes. These districts stretch over Gwinnett, Cobb and DeKalb Counties, which host the largest concentrations of Latinx voters in the state.
In 1988, the Latinx vote was marginally influential in Georgia. Back then, politicians could afford to ignore the needs of our communities and still run successful campaigns, but that was three decades ago. Today, Latinxs make up one of the largest minorities in the state and have become an electoral powerhouse. To dismiss the needs of the Latinx community in 2018 is to disregard the demands of 10 percent of Georgia’s population.
In honor of 30 years of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO) challenges everyone to make this month more than a celebration of our heritage and legacy. The 2018 election is fewer than 40 days away, and as policies and politics become more polarized and xenophobic, the Latinx vote in Georgia has become decisive power if we flex our electoral muscles.
Undeniably, the Latinx community in Georgia is growing in size, influence and power, and we must develop as leaders and engage proactively in our communities if we hope to become the drivers of the future for our state.
To register to vote or update your current address, please go to www.galeo.org before the October 9 deadline.
If you have questions or problems with exercising your right to vote, please call us at 1–888–54GALEO.
Jerry Gonzalez is the founding and current executive director of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO) and the GALEO Latino Community Development Fund. GALEO, a statewide nonprofit and non-partisan organization, has a mission to increase civic engagement and leadership development of the Latino community across Georgia. Gonzalez is a native of Laredo, Texas, and received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1995. He completed his Master of Public Administration at the Andrew Young School of Public Policy at Georgia State University in 2005. Due to his efforts at GALEO, Mr. Gonzalez has been recognized by Georgia Trend Magazine as one of Georgia’s 100 Most Influential Georgians for several years. Gonzalez lives in Atlanta with his husband of over 22 years, Ray, an established and practicing pediatrician, and their dog, Jenny. Jerry’s hobbies include photography, travel and hiking, and he considers himself an avid road cyclist.
Resources:
1. United States, “1990 Census of Population.” 1990 Census of Population, U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census, 1992.
2. United States, “Georgia, 2010. 2010 Census of Population and Housing.” Georgia, 2010. 2010 Census of Population and Housing.
3. AV Press Releases. “NEW: Battleground Poll of Latino, Asian American, Native American, African American, and White Voters in 61 Districts.” America’s Voice, AV Press Releases, 26 July 2018, americasvoice.org/press_releases/new-battleground-poll-of-latino-asian-american-native-american-african-american-and-white-voters-in-61-districts/.
