Why Down-ballot Elections Should Matter to Latinas

Woman smiling with her arms crossed.

After an exhausting start to the 2020 campaign cycle, we switched gears to a psychologically and physically draining pandemic. Maybe you let elections recede into the background as you took care of yourself, family and community. No silver lining is in sight, but here we are again, with a new round of primaries coming up. On June 2, ten states will hold primaries. You might be wondering why you should care when we already have a Democratic nominee? For one, the rules for voting are being rewritten every week as states change policy and practice in response to COVID-19. Those rules can be hard to follow, especially if you’re worried about paying bills or staying healthy. And maybe our votes can’t change the presidential nominee, but they can help elect Latinas down-ballot. If we needed confirmation, COVID-19 reinforced that who our leaders are matters, not just in Congress, but also at the state level.


To help motivate you and your hermanas, primas, tias and abuelas and their male counterparts to vote, here’s a roundup of Latinas on the ballot in upcoming elections. Each of these is a first-time candidate and in some cases, they’re running against incumbents who’ve been in their positions for decades.

On June 9, Georgia and Nevada will hold primaries:

Brenda Lopez Romero is running for Congress in Georgia’s 7th Congressional district. Brenda was the first Latina to be elected to the Georgia state assembly; she was born in Cuernavaca and came to the U.S. at the age of five. She’s an immigration attorney and is facing a number of opponents in this race.

Woman smiling in the back of a convertible with a sign that says "Vote".(photo credit: BrendaforCongress.com)

Cecilia Gonzales is vying to be the Nevada state representative for district 16. She is the daughter of immigrant parents who came into close contact with the criminal justice system at a young age. An educator and advocate, she faces a competitive primary.

On June 23, New York will hold its primary:

Samelys Lopez is a candidate for Congressional district 15 in the Bronx. She was born in Puerto Rico and raised by a Dominican mother, and also spent time in New York City’s shelter system. She has worked in local politics and been a housing and community advocate. She is also in a competitive primary, where every vote will matter.

Several Latinas are challenging incumbents for New York State assembly. Jessica Gonzales-Rojas is running to represent district 34, which includes parts of Queens that have been devastated by the pandemic. Jessica is a long-time immigrant and reproductive justice advocate and daughter of a Paraguayan father and Puerto Rican mother. Marcela Mitaynes is a Peruvian immigrant and tenant rights organizer who herself contracted COVID-19.

Woman smiling in a park.(photo credit: MarcelaforNY.org)

Some primaries occur as late as August, even though those states have already held their presidential primary. In Michigan, Gabriela Santiago Romero is running for Wayne County Commissioner and in Arizona, Melody Hernandez hopes to be the next representative for District 26 in the Arizona House of Representatives. Romero is an immigrant from Mexico and a community organizer and policy advocate. Hernandez is a paramedic and first-generation Mexican American.

Many of these primaries are almost like the general election because they are districts that generally vote Democratic, so the primary winner will likely win the general election. But not all Democratic candidates are the same, especially when it comes to governing in the interests of communities of color. Voting in these primaries matters just as much as voting on November 3.

If you’re not excited about the options for President, another reason to go to the polls is to re-elect Latinas like Veronica Escobar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who made history in 2018. But more Latinas could be on your ballot in November. Among them is Georgette Gomez, who is one of the two candidates in California’s 53rd Congressional district (where the top vote getter will win the seat) and Candace Valenzuela, currently on the ballot for a run-off election for Texas’ 24th Congressional district. If elected, Valenzuela would be the first Afro-Latina in Congress, and Gomez would be the first queer Latina in Congress.

Why does your vote matter? Latinas make up an estimated nine percent of the U.S. population, but represent less than three percent of Congress and less than two percent of state legislators, according to Latinas Represent. Data from the Center for American Women in Politics indicate that only two Latinas serve as mayors of U.S. cities, and one of them, Regina Romero, was just elected in 2019. If those numbers don’t increase, not only will we not see policy that reflects the need of Latino communities, but young Latinas won’t see themselves reflected in our government. A single vote is not only about the individual or the candidate, but also about our communities and our democracy. All of that is at stake this year, now more than ever.

This Viral Video Game Is Changing the Face of Voter Outreach

In 2024, voting campaigns have evolved greatly, to say the least. Creativity is now the name of the game and tongue-in-cheek humor is expertly leveraged to drive action. One example of that is Bop the Bigot, a revival of a viral game created in 2016 by Bazta Arpaio, an Arizona activist group, as part of a campaign to unseat Maricopa County’s Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Arpaio lost his re-election to Paul Penzone that year.

The game has now been updated for the current election cycle and relaunched by On Point Studios, with new features added to enable players to find out what’s on their ballot, confirm voter status, and register to vote.

Much like its former 2016 version, the game allows users to take out their political frustrations by virtually “bopping” GOP candidates in the head. It’s very similar to whack-a-mole, except the mole is replaced by former President Donald Trump, Ohio’s Senator J. D. Vance, and Kevin Roberts, President of the Heritage Foundation, which is spearheading Project 2025.

cartoon renditions of Donald Trump and J.D. Vance around a Bop the Bigot logoPromotional image provided by On Point Studios.

B. Loewe, Director of On Point Studios, came up with the concept for this game when working as the Communications Director at Bazta Arpaio in 2016, and is the executive producer of this revamped version. In the first version of the game, Bop the Bigot players used a chancla (flip flop) to “bop” the characters, tapping into Latino culture by leaning on the childhood experience of being set right by a flying chancla from a fed-up mother or grandmother.

This year, the chancla is replaced by a more current element, a green coconut, referencing Kamala Harris’ coconut tree meme. There are also side characters like “the couch,” cat ladies, and more coconuts. All references to jokes about Vice-Presidential candidate Vance, or insults Vance has made about women on the campaign trail.

Another new addition is that Harris’ laugh is immortalized as the game-over sound effect, an unexpected detail that adds even more humor and levity to the game.

cartoon renditions of Donald Trump, Kevin Roberts, and J.D. Vance around a Bop the Bigot logoPromotional image provided by On Point Studios.

Bop the Bigot, which is playable on desktop and mobile, is intended not just as a way to vent political frustrations, but also as a tool for activism and securing voter engagement.

For example, the game supports the work of Mexican Neidi Dominguez Zamorano, Founding Executive Director of the non-profit organization Organized Power in Numbers by using the “game over” screen to prompt players to donate to it and support their efforts.

Organized Power in Numbers is focused on empowering workers in the South and Southwest of the U.S. through collective action and comprehensive campaigns. Their mission is to create a large-scale movement that challenges the status quo and advocates for workers' rights, and racial and economic justice.

Currently, Dominguez Zamorano is leading worker outreach to 2 million working-class voters in the South and Southwest through doorknocking, texting, and calls with the help of local groups in North Carolina, Arizona, New Mexico, and more.

“We have been blown away by the enthusiastic reception for the video game. We knew we wanted to be part of its creative approach because our movement needs more fun and laughter. We need more ways to connect with nuestra gente so we can feel joy among all the absurdity we witness every day,” Dominguez Zamorano shared with Luz Media via email.

“Our people are gente trabajadora and we deserve to feel uplifted even in our toughest moments. We are deeply involved in the South and Southwest so we know what’s at stake in this election and we’re happy this can be a resource to mobilize, raise spirits, and get out the vote," she concluded.

Dominguez Zamorano is a committed activist for immigrants and workers' rights, known for her strategist skills and expertise. She played a key role in the campaign to win DACA and has also held roles in major campaigns, including as Deputy National States Director for Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign. In addition to her work with Organized Power in Numbers, Dominguez Zamorano is serving as a Senior Advisor to Mijente’s Fuera Trump Initiative.

Grassroots efforts like these have taken on new life in 2024, with Bop the Bigot adding to the larger, ongoing fight against political apathy and disinformation. Just as it did during the 2016 race, the video game uses humor to soften the serious task at hand—getting people to the polls.

"We want the game to be a fun and comical outlet for anyone who’s been insulted, frustrated, or harmed by Trump in the past and everyone who is ready to move forward as a country after election day," explained Loewe in a press release. "The proposals in Project 2025 and the beliefs of Trump and Vance aren’t just weird, they’re truly harmful. We wanted to give people a humorous and peaceful way to smack down their racism and sexism. We hope it makes people laugh and also feel empowered and motivated to get to the polls on or before election day."

With a mix of satire, sharp political critique, and nostalgia, the game is a call to action. The upcoming election, which is getting closer by the minute, has sparked fierce activism and creative yet grounded initiatives like these aim to ensure voters are engaged, especially young Latinos and disenfranchised groups.

hands holding up yellow protest signs that say Hands Off Our Bodies
Photo Credit: Gayatri Malhotra via Unsplash

Originally published in Common Dreams. Reprinted with permission.

The Latino electorate will prove decisive in securing reproductive freedom and abortion access through ballot measures around the country, particularly in states where Latinos are a significant portion of the electorate.

In November, abortion rights measures will appear on ballots across ten states, including Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, and New York, where Latinos make up a significant portion of the electorate. For decades, pundits and politicians have recycled long-held misconceptions about Latino voters and abortion access, citing our conservative and religious beliefs.

Anti-abortion extremists have long fueled these misconceptions through misinformation and disinformation campaigns targeting Latino communities with egregious lies and inflammatory rhetoric about abortion. Yet, polling, focus groups, and direct interactions with Latino communities have debunked these outdated tropes.

The Latino electorate will prove decisive in securing reproductive freedom and abortion access through ballot measures around the country, particularly in states where Latinos are a significant portion of the electorate.

For Latinos, the freedom to decide, a pillar of our American democracy, is critical. Meanwhile, Latinos are being hit directly with anti-abortion efforts that take away that freedom such as the six-week abortion ban put into effect by the Florida Supreme Court and the 1864 abortion ban upheld by the Arizona Supreme Court. In the wake of the Dobbs decision, people of color and Latinas have felt the impact of a lack of abortion access, an element of basic healthcare.

A 2023 report by the National Partnership for Women and Families estimated that nearly 6.5 million Latinas, or 42% of all Latinas of reproductive age in the country, live in a state that either had or was likely to ban abortion. Ironically, it will be abortion access and anti-choice efforts to restrict freedom of choice that will mobilize Latino voters this election.

In a poll conducted by three national reproductive justice organizations, 87% of Latinas named abortion and women’s rights as one of their top priorities as they head to the polls. Another battleground poll conducted by Somos PAC and BSP Research found that 61% of Latino registered voters expressed a more positive/favorable view of Kamala Harris after hearing that she will protect abortion rights, versus only 19% of Latinos who said they had a more negative view of Harris after hearing that.

In key states to secure the White House and both chambers, Latinos make up large chunks of the electorate: Arizona (25%), Colorado (15%), Florida (20%), Nevada (20%), and New York (12%). In the face of unprecedented attacks on basic healthcare access and targeted attempts by extremists to mislead and divide our community on this issue, this November Latinos will be key deciders on abortion access across the country.

Mari Urbina, Managing Director of Indivisible, Battleground Arizona Lead and former Harry Reid advisor.

Héctor Sánchez Barba is president and CEO of Mi Familia Vota (MFV).