We are less than a month from the elections and all eyes will be on the Latino vote. I know you all have heard this ad nauseam for more than three years, but it is all coming to a head now. This is especially true since the race has substantially tightened up after President Obama’s lackluster 1st presidential debate (be assured a very different Barack Obama will show up at the next one ladies!).
So have the numbers of Latinos supporting President Obama changed since that first debate? Highly doubtful. The polls have shown such a tremendous Latino gap that it will be tough for Governor Romney to make up any ground. The last Latino Decisions poll had Obama at 72% and Romney at 20%, the latest NBC New Telemundo poll had President Obama at 70% and Romney at 20%, and the latest CNN/ORC Poll had Obama at 70% and Romney at 26%.
A new Mamiverse survey released just this week shows even more bad news for Governor Romney. It showed a jaw-dropping 92% of Latina moms supporting President Obama. This survey was done on this site and answered by our readers who are a great representative sample of engaged, online bilingual/English dominant Latina moms out there.
We already know anecdotally just how powerful an influence a Latina mom can be and that can translate into swaying our friends and family on who to support in this election. But according to research being done by the National Association of Latino Appointed and Elected Officials (NALEO), our power goes further and to an even more important degree. NALEO’s new research shows that Latina Moms are the greatest “influencers” in convincing family members who are not voters to actually go out and vote. Now this, dear mamis, is real power!
Read Related: Can Michelle Obama’s Mamiverse Chat Win the Latino Vote?
Other highlights of the Mamiverse online survey include:
- 57.9% said that they get their information about the election, the candidates, and their views through the internet, social media and websites. Although President Obama is heavily favored within this segment of the Latino community, 71.7% of group surveyed also said that a woman would make a better president than a man, and that 50.9% expect to see a Hispanic president within the next ten years.
- Top of mind for Latinas in this year’s election are the economy (33.3%), education (26.3%), and healthcare (26.3%). In the area of fixing the economy, 77.2% are in favor of a higher tax rate for wealthier Americans. Regarding Obamacare, 48.2% are in favor of it, while 39.3% are in favorite of it with changes.
- 52.6% said that the president’s spouse could influence their vote. As you recall, In July, Michelle Obama reached out to this very important Latina demographic and conducted a chat which I had the honor of moderating for this site with Latina moms, to talk about these same issues.
- With the majority of respondents in the 36-45 year old category at 43.9%, their views include concern about Medicare (78.2% want to keep it as is and fund it through taxes, elimination of programs and cutbacks in other areas), 84.2% are very concerned about the future of Social Security, and education (57.1% would like fewer children in a classroom).
- A resounding 73.8% felt that the issue of a woman’s right to choose and strengthening reproductive health and freedom for women is of importance in this election. 87.8% felt that they would definitely not vote for Romney/Ryan because they oppose abortion.
- These results really give us insight as to why President Obama enjoys such a big lead over Governor Romney. And the answer is twofold: First, overwhelmingly, the policies that President Obama supports align with what is important to Latina moms—from education, to the economy, to Medicare and healthcare. Latinas have been smart to educate themselves on what the effects to them and their families would be of each of the candidates’ policies.
Secondly, like the majority of Latinos, Latina moms see that President Obama and the Democrats have been so much better at communicating that message aggressively and effectively to Latinos all around the country—from TV ads, to chats on Mamiverse by First Lady Michelle Obama, to community town hall meetings in key states like Colorado, Florida and Nevada, to tapping Latina leaders as surrogates like the legendary Dolores Huerta and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis among many others.
So ladies, in this election, more than ever, the Latino vote will be heard. This survey gives an important glimpse into what Latina moms are thinking and what is important for us and our families. It also underscores a critical truth—that Latinos, and increasingly Latina moms can be the deciding factor in this very close election.
To ensure this will be the case however, it is in our hands to educate our fellow Latinas, our communities, our friends, families and networks, to make sure everyone goes out and gets registered to vote if you haven’t already. Some of the laws have changed. Know what documents you need to get registered. If there is early voting in your state, go take advantage of it and take a bunch of familia and amigas with you while you are at it! If you need any additional information on how to register or where to go to vote, please visit Advancement Project—Protect Our Vote.
Let’s go vote! Vamos a votar chicas!
