At Bethlehem’s Broughal Middle School, a line of voters shrunk by the school’s towering brick exterior wait to cast their ballots for the 2024 presidential election.
Among them is Toni Fernandez.
Though she already voted by mail, she’s working as a driver for Lehigh Valley For All, a Democratic political action committee, to provide transportation to community members who otherwise would have trouble making it to a polling station on election day.
Fernandez, who is Puerto Rican, said she’s making an effort to get the Lehigh Valley’s large Puerto Rican population out to vote.
“(Puerto Ricans) don’t see themselves represented in government,” Fernandez said. “For the low income (voters) they don’t see their situations change too much. But I think Democrats need to not only knock on their doors when the vote is needed, but throughout.”
Fernandez’s actions underscore the work done by Hispanic community organizations to encourage community members to the polls.
Victor Martinez, a host for La Mega, the Lehigh Valley’s Spanish radio station, said Allentown is about 55% Latino, Lehigh County is about 30% Latino and Bethlehem is about 15% Latino.
“We are an important block of the community and the electorate,” Martinez said. “So if we vote, if we participate, we could become a very important sector of the community that could shape and persuade voters and politicians.”
Martinez said his primary mission is to use his platform to educate the Hispanic community on the importance of registering to vote and participating in the democratic process, regardless of who they’re voting for. This led La Mega to partner with Philadelphia’s Univision station as part of their campaign to register new voters.
According to Univision’s website, Hispanic voter turnout is likely to increase by 25% from the 2020 election, outpacing the rest of the population by 6%.
“If we participate, we become a political power,” Martinez said. “That means we can expect more representation…making sure politicians, when they make decisions, see how those decisions impact our community.”
La Mega also partnered with the Lehigh Valley Hispanic Center in Bethlehem.
On Sept. 17, the two organizations hosted an event for community members at the Hispanic Center. Music, food and giveaways were only part of a larger initiative to encourage attendees to vote.
They also ran a live broadcast, during which the Hispanic Center’s Executive Director, Raymond Santiago, spoke about the importance of registering to vote.
“We are a growing minority here,” Santiago said. “Not only in Pennsylvania, but the entire country. So this is our opportunity to share what we care about.”
The causes Santiago said he’s holding close during this election are those that the Hispanic Center helps to alleviate.
The center provides assistance to low income families and helps with food insecurity through their food pantry. Santiago said he thinks the rising cost of housing, utilities and food are among the top issues for Hispanic voters in the Lehigh Valley this election.
“If I just take South Bethlehem for instance, many are being pushed out because of the rent.” Santiago said. “Food costs, especially over this past summer, were extremely high. We saw a lot of families coming to us for the first time needing food pantry support because groceries just exceeded what they can afford.”
These economic issues, along with immigration and healthcare are issues that Martinez finds pertinent to the Hispanic community during the election cycle, but he also believes comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s joke about Puerto Rico at Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally on Oct. 27, could also inspire voters.
After Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage,” about 50 Allentown residents showed their disdain for the joke, holding “Latinos for Harris-Walz” and “Latinx power” signs outside Trump’s rally at the PPL Center.
“I think what’s galvanizing a lot of Puerto Ricans who sometimes don’t show up to vote is that (Trump) called the country a garbage can, or he endorsed it,” Fernandez said.
Santiago, who is also Puerto Rican, said the joke was “disheartening,” but Puerto Ricans can show their contempt by casting a ballot.
“Your voice can be heard by voting,” Santiago said. “So that’s ultimately the power of the Puerto Rican community and the Hispanic community.”
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