The affordable housing crisis and the possibility of an economic recession are not only topics lingering into the 2020 presidential election, but issues concerning some organizations in regards to voter turnout amongst Hispanics.
A study, “Vanishing wealth, vanishing votes? Latino homeownership and the 2016 election in Florida” looked at the impacts that wealth, dwindling home values and homeownership amongst Latinos had on the 2016 presidential election. Sociologist Jacob Rugh examined the voting patterns of Orlando area Orange County residents who took out mortgage loans between 2005 and 2007; he found that Latino Democrats and Independents who lost their homes were less likely to vote in 2016 compared to those who didn’t. On the contrary, Latino Republicans voted regardless of losing or not losing their homes.
“I don’t think that any circumstance should impact someone’s decision to vote — whether you have money or don’t have money, are happy, sad or don’t have a job,” said Jimmy Stephanis, a Cuban-American resident in Tampa.
Stephanis is not affiliated with a political party, but has been voting in Florida since 1998. He said nothing impedes him from voting, not even the burden of losing his home in 2015 to a divorce agreement. Stephanis believes that if people are not content with their elected officials, they should do something to change it.
“That’s the beauty of our democracy,'' said Stephanis. “That the people can and should elect their president, It’s a right and a responsibility.”
In Rugh’s study, there were more Latino Republican voters than Hispanic Democrat or Independent voters in 2016 than in 2012. He found that the loss of home equity and wealth could be the reason Florida pivoted from a blue state to a red one.
“Such instability may reduce the likelihood of voting because foreclosed owners are likely to be renters, who are less likely to vote than homeowners,” wrote Rugh, who notes that Latinos’ voting patterns in 2016 were repeated in 2018 and believes the same will happen in 2020.
In the Tampa Bay, Hispanics are the second largest ethnic group, after Caucasians, living in poverty according to Data USA. Over the years, that number has slowly climbed. Between 2013-2017, about 6,000 more Hispanics were living below the poverty line — an income threshold which deems an individual or family impoverished.
The Census Bureau indicates that in 2017, 52% of households in Tampa were renters versus 48% being homeowners, a number that has fluctuated up and down about 2% in the past five years. Some national organizations view low-income renters as underrepresented populations who require additional motivation to partake in elections.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) is one organization that has launched a program called “Our Homes, Our Votes: 2020.” The campaign efforts are twofold: To urge candidates to address the affordable housing crisis and to encourage low-income families to vote.
The program is made possible through the NLIHC’s partnership with the Polk County Housing Trust Fund and Housing Action NH. Currently, partners in Iowa and New Hampshire organizing town hall events and roundtable meetings with presidential candidates to learn about their ideas and solutions as they pertain to the affordable housing crisis. As a state partner, the Florida Housing Coalition is encouraged to participate and will receive the necessary resources and support to do so.
In an email, Lisa Marlow, the NLIHC’s Communication Specialist told CL the importance of addressing the affordable housing issue as a means to promote voting.
“Low income renters are underrepresented among voters,” wrote Marlow. “Engaged low-income renters and voters can work to elevate affordable rental housing as a top priority for policy makers.”
According to Marlow, low-income renters face a variety of challenges which may prevent them from voting.
“Less-flexible work schedules that may not allow time off to vote; more difficulty obtaining legal identification; transportation impediments that may make getting to the polls more difficult; and, a greater likelihood of misinformation about their rights as voters,” stated Marlow.
As for Latinos specifically, she states “more Latino voters across the country are voting for affordable housing projects because they see an improvement in their communities.”
Rita Montelongo is a Mexican-American resident in Tampa, who as a renter has struggled with finding affordable housing.
“Neighborhoods segregate you by the income that you bring in, it’s what you’re allotted to find a home with in certain neighborhoods,” said Montelongo. She said that the stress of finding a home has definitely impacted her willingness to vote in the past.
“I’m a Democrat,” said Montelongo. “There have been some elections that I’ve missed, I didn’t even bother to vote because I assumed that my voice wasn’t heard, that my vote didn’t count.”
Mi Familia Vota is another nonpartisan organization that is mobilizing to ensure that Latinos are using their political voice by helping them register, become knowledgeable and confident to vote. According to Mi Familia Vota’s 2018 Florida Report, there are a total of 5.3 million Latinos in Florida — and Hillsborough County contains the fourth-largest population with 402,797 Latinos.
With such a large Latino presence, Mi Familia Vota’s State Director, Soraya Márquez expresses the importance of the organizations work.
It’s almost incomprehensible how 671,000 of Florida Hispanics are eligible, but not registered to vote as stated in the report. Márquez explains that in part, it depends on the origin of the people who are eligible electors.
“Remember that there are different Hispanics that come from different countries and if they come from Latin America, they are coming from countries where democracy has been fractured,” said Márquez. “Voting is no longer a priority to them because indefinitely there isn’t a positive social or economic change, and they bring with them to the United States a sense of rejection.”
The organization is comprised of people devoted to strengthening Latino political power while promoting social and economic justice. Through civic engagement, they tackle everything from immigration, voter rights and workers' rights to healthcare, education and the environment as they relate to Latinos.
Márquez said it’s important for Latinos to forget what they’ve left behind, rather they should come to the U.S. with a mentality to fortify the democratic system.
Wilfred Benitez, who is Puerto Rican, is Mi Familia Vota’s Tampa Coordinator and he agrees with Marquez; e feels that other Puerto Ricans who leave the island don’t vote in Florida because they have lost faith in the system.
“They think it’s the same as in Puerto Rico, but if they don’t participate then the minority will decide for them,” said Benitez.
To encourage Latino voter registration, Benitez explained that the organization began to implement in Tampa what they found worked in Orlando and that is to simply go out and talk to people in the community — going door-to-door, going to supermarkets, churches, schools and events.
Benitez feels that the upcoming 2020 election will be a historic one due to the politics that the current administration has adopted against Hispanics.
“It’s very important for the Hispanic community to integrate,” said Benitez.
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This article appears in Nov 21-28, 2019.