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Latino issues will be addressed only when Latino issues are heard – and it begins with our voice being heard loud and clear at the ballot box. See you on the midterms this coming November.
Gun Control
According to the CDC, more Americans died from gun-related injuries in 2020 than any other year on record. More than half (54%) of those gun related deaths were suicides (24,292) and 43% were murders (19,383.)
A mass shooting is defined as incidents in which four or more people are shot and in 2020, over 500 mass shootings took place. As of June 2022, the number of mass shootings is already approaching nearly half of 2020’s number, with over 250 mass shootings so far in the United States.
Women's Rights
A critical public health and human rights issue facing the country today is over women’s reproductive rights and their right to legal abortions. With 61% of U.S. adults agreeing that abortion should be legal, there is still 37% of the adult population saying it should be illegal.
Reviewing the CDC’s most recent figures from 2019, they reported 629,898 abortions took pace in the U.S. with most of the women being in their 20s and 21% were Hispanic. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that comprehensive abortion care should be included in the list of essential health care services.
Economy/Inflation
Inflation is ranked as the United States top national problem and 71% of U.S. adults agree that strengthening the economy needs to be a priority. Americans are feeling price increases at the grocery stores, gas stations, favorite restaurants, monthly rent, and new loans applications.
The latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that as of May 2022 inflation reached the highest level with an 8.6 increase since 1981.
Immigration
Enacted in June 2012, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), protects undocumented immigrations who were brought to the United States as children. As of December, the policy has protected as many as 23,000 recipients in Arizona and over 800,000 across the nation.
This November, the Arizona ballot includes Proposition 308– which directly affects DREAMers, DACA students/youth. The proposition would provide in-state tuition to ALL Arizona high school graduates regardless of status. If passed, DREAMers who have lived in Arizona for more than two years and graduated from an Arizona high school, can also be eligible for in-state tuition rates and scholarships.
Homelessness
On any given night, there are 7,419 unhoused people in Maricopa County, with 20% of the demographic being Hispanic/Latino. With a striking jump in homelessness, nearly 55% of Latino adults agree that dealing with poverty should be a top priority, not just in Arizona, but across the nation.
The upswing in homelessness can be attributed to the recent housing crisis and economic hardship caused by the pandemic. In addition to those major factors, according to apartments.com, Phoenix rent prices have increased by 32.3% since the beginning of the pandemic, making it difficult to recovery from. Median rents now stand at $1,221 for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,491 for a two-bedroom unit.
Education
Several issues are presented in today’s educational concerns. Issues like school safety, school funding, teacher salaries, student loan debt, classroom curriculum, and the on-going lingering impacts from Covid-19. While school board leaders debate mask mandates, vaccines, and critical race theory, former college students continue to hold their breath every time student loan debt payments are paused temporarily. As midterm elections approach this November, these issues will be a top priority for many.
Local Infrastructure
Arizona is one of the fasting growing states in the county and to keep up the quality of life for the growing cities, infrastructure will play a vital role which is a key issue for many voters this election.
Ensuring that highways and streets are safe enough to commute back and forth to school and work are important. Plus, growing families want to have local parks be available and safe for their children and homes and buildings need to withstand extreme weather like rainfall, dust storms, and wildfire. These issues concern voters because they experience them daily, however, for people who are visiting the Grand Canyon State – tourism is also a big factor in making sure local infrastructure is a top priority to keep people invested and interested in Arizona.
Equality / Inclusion
Generation Z is the “we” generation. They don’t just vote for issues that directly affect them. They vote for issues that concern their friends, family, communities, and for the future generations that are yet to come. As the most multicultural generation to date, Gen-Zers care about equality and inclusion for the people around them and will make policies that address these issues a priority this midterm election.
