Candidates in both parties have to do more than drink a ‘cafecito’ to woo Hispanics | Opinion

In one year, Americans all across the nation will be considering their choices for elected office, from their city council members to the president.

Every election is important, and every voter can make a difference. Supporting, then voting for who represents us in local, state and federal offices determines the direction of our community and our country.

Many people around the world long for the right to choose their representatives. But they are stifled by their countries’ oppressive governments, which deny them this privilege. My native homeland, Cuba, is a perfect example. It’s a country where there are only sham elections. Recently, another farce of governing was committed as Miguel Díaz-Canel, the latest in a line of tyrants who have abused the island and its people, was “re-elected” to continue the Castros’ reign of oppression.

In a system where only one political party is allowed to exist, the Communist party, and no candidate actually competes against another candidate, it is actually a pre-determined selection instead of an election. Throughout our hemisphere, be it Venezuela, Nicaragua or Cuba, we can see that many do not have the same rights guaranteed to U.S. citizens.

Now, the many Latinos who are naturalized U.S. citizens and who fled oppressive regimes will play a significant role in the 2020 elections. According to the Pew Research Center, there are almost 32 million Latino voters eligible to participate in next year’s elections. The presidential elections are gearing up to be the first time that Hispanics will be the largest racial and ethnic minority group in the electorate.

That is significant, and important.

Leading up to the 2020 elections, candidates of both major parties will be aggressively campaigning — as they should — for the votes and loyalty of those whom they believe will put them in office. Given the data on growing Latino voter turnout, many political advisors will encourage their candidates to tailor their message to appeal to these already-strong voting demographics. As now-Sen. Rick Scott demonstrated last year, the Hispanic vote crosses party lines when candidates engage with the community early and often. Though Hispanics were once thought of as the bailiwick of one party or another, engaged and committed candidates show that outreach to our community can change votes in one or several races.

Independent analyses also have shown this. Pew Research has indicated that nationally, Hispanic voter turnout increased by double digits in 2018. In Florida, data from Univision shows an even bigger jump in Hispanic voter turnout. According to Univision, there was an 81 percent increase in Hispanic voter turnout from 2014 to 2018, and among younger Hispanics, those 18-34, there was a triple-digit increase in voter turnout. Finally, one in three new registered voters in 2018 was Hispanic. This all suggests that Hispanic voters, especially in Florida, are energized and ready to vote.

In South Florida, we’re familiar with the national campaigns’ traditional Hispanic voter outreach: some TV ads in Spanish, perhaps some radio appearances and the de rigueur stop at popular restaurants for the obligatory cafecito. However, both parties should work to more deeply engage this crucial demographic. We’ve seen progress in early and national launches of Hispanic-voter coalitions to energize the grassroots, but more engagement with these voters should be the norm, not a notable point of progress.

Hispanics across the nation offer different perspectives; thus, engaging the Hispanic community, particularly as this voting bloc grows, makes sense for any candidate.

In 2020, we all will have to make choices about which candidates best reflect our values. Whether a voter is conservative, liberal, Republican, Democrat or Independent, wise candidates should use every opportunity to reach diverse groups, including in español, as to why he or she should be making the decisions that affect us. In the past, many candidates have taken the Hispanic vote for granted as a bloc that will deliver with only perfunctory nods, one-size-fits-all ads that run in California and Florida (two culturally different markets) and last-minute get-out-the-vote programs to ensure supporters make it to the polls.

This election, candidates have the opportunity to truly engage our community early. If they don’t they may become another example of one of my mom, Abu Mandy’s, favorite sayings: Camaron que se duerme se lo lleva la corriente — the shrimp that falls asleep gets washed away by the tide!

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen spent almost 30 years in Congress representing South Florida. She writes a monthly column for the Miami Herald. Send her your comments at HeraldIleana@gmail.com.