What’s at Stake

Latinas Could Change the 2020 Election

With 29 million eligible voters, their influence is undeniable

A Sun Valley resident votes at the polling station located at Our Lady of The Holy Church on election day at the Sun Valley’s Latino district, Los Angeles County. Photo: Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images

ZORA has delved into what’s at stake in this election cycle with an important series about women of color and the vote. We sought the insight of political activists, advocacy groups, lawmakers, and community stakeholders. Read on for insight into a voting bloc that may impact not just the next election, but America’s future course. Keep an eye on What’s at Stake all week long.

Lizette Escobedo’s parents, Efrain and Rosa, were strangers when they arrived in the United States from Mexico decades ago. They were young, undocumented, and unsure. Yet with Efrain’s night shift at a warehouse, Rosa’s Avon and Mary Kay sales, plus the money from clothing she peddled at a swap meet on weekends, the couple built a life in California for themselves and their five children.

Today, Escobedo’s mother and father are proud U.S. citizens who have consistently voted in local and national elections. They are also proud of Escebedo, the director of the National Census Program at NALEO Educational Fund, a nationally recognized organization that empowers Latinos politically.

In a year when the presidential election and the U.S. Census coincide, the civic organizer has two…