‘I vote for no one; it’s not worth the trouble’
NEW YORK CITY — Like so many other voters, Elena Guzmán is not an expert in politics.
But when it comes to identifying priorities and unmasking politicians, nobody beats this Salvadoran woman.
The mother of two and a cleaning woman in one of the most exclusive gyms in New York City, Guzmán has lived 20 years in Queens County. She has been a U.S. citizen since 2007 and is a passionate defender of undocumented immigrants.
“Here, those who have papers and those who don’t do the same: we work to make our families succeed,” she says.
Although she voted for Obama in two elections, when asked for whom she will vote in the midterm elections in November, she doesn’t hesitate.
“For no one; it’s not worth the trouble. All politicians are liars; look what’s happening with the immigrants.”
Her justified disenchantment, shared by a large number of Hispanics, reflects a reality: the attitude of politicians toward immigration is decisive in order to earn the trust of Latino voters.
That is why, without the proverbial crystal ball, it is almost impossible to predict how Latinos will participate in the Nov. 4 elections.
A study by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), released last week in Washington, attempts to make that prediction.
According to the color of the crystal used, NALEO’s projections, six months before the elections, can be viewed as optimistic — or the total opposite.
They’re optimistic if what you see is 8 million Latinos casting their ballots, which would represent an almost 20 percent increase over 2010. But that’s not so much, if you consider that 5 million Latinos would stay home instead of doing their civic duty, given that the number of registered Hispanics is 12.8 million.
Optimism fades a little more if you realize that those Latinos are 25 percent fewer than those who voted in the 2012 presidential election, although that reduction reflects the traditional lack of interest in midterm elections.
“I hope that the paralysis of immigration reform will create a feeling of indignation among the Latinos that will compel them to take action and vote,” says a worried Arturo Vargas, NALEO’s executive director.
The problem is that the Latinos’ reaction to the bogging down of immigration reform — as well as Obama’s reluctance to stop the deportations — could be exactly the opposite. In other words, what may prevail is the “I vote for no one; it’s not worth the trouble” expressed by Guzmán.
Understandable though that skepticism may be, cases like those of Florida Governor Rick Scott confirm the power of the Latin vote. A far-right Republican, Scott needs the Hispanic vote to gain re-election. That has forced him to woo Hispanic voters, softening the rigid anti-immigrant stance that had characterized him.
What cannot be overlooked is that — with 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 34 in the Senate at stake, along with 36 governorships — ignoring the midterm elections is a terrible idea. Just imagine what it would mean for the Hispanic community if the Republicans take over the Senate (they’re already a majority in the House) and you’ll understand the urgent need to vote on Nov. 4.
The danger is real and we Latinos can allay it by electing candidates who are attune to our interests. To achieve this, however, it will be necessary for Guzmán and hundreds of thousands like her to vote on Nov. 4, despite the many disappointments and scant expectations.
As the saying goes, we’ll be voting “for the lesser of two evils.”
albor.ruiz@aol.com
