Puerto Rican Voters Being Eyed by Political Candidates for the 2020 US Elections

By Staff Reporter (staff@latinpost.com)
First Posted: Oct 24, 2019 01:22 PM EDT



The Puerto Rican US immigrant voters living in Florida are continuously uniting and recruiting other Puerto Ricans in the state to let their voices be heard through ballot boxes. The feeling of having no capacity to exercise power had greatly inspired their collective efforts. It was also brought about by the destruction and distress caused by the hurricane Maria.

The Puerto Rican community knows the intensity of their votes as their population continuously rises and grows in the state of Florida.


According to Natascha Otero-Santiago, a publicist and community activist, this is the first time that she had witnessed the Puerto Rican immigrant community in Florida join forces for a common cause.


The Puerto Rican US immigrant voters of Florida was inspired by the "summer revolution" that helped Puerto Rico's new Governor Ricardo A. Rosello win the elections. Before Puerto Rico's elections, Rosello was supported by the Puerto Rican communities on the island and from the US.

This was the spark that grew into a bigger flame of unity among the Puerto Rican immigrants in Florida.


The Democratic presidential hopefuls are eyeing the large population of Puerto Rican immigrants living in Florida. 3 million Latinos are living in the state of Florida who is entitled and eligible to vote for the United States of America's Presidential Elections.


There are 1.2 million Puerto Rican immigrant voters in the state of Florida which will make up 40% of the total votes in the state. The Puerto Rican immigrant population is the largest and fastest-growing Latino voting community in Florida.

Natascha Otero-Santiago strongly believes with the high density of Puerto Rican communities in the state, they should be elected in local, state, and in Congress offices.


Currently, out of the 27 members of the congressional delegation in Florida, one is of Puerto Rican Origin. Representative Darren Sotto is the sole Puerto Rican congress representative from Central Florida where there is a significant and immensely growing population of his blood origin.


In the state, there are only three Puerto Ricans that sit in the Florida Legislature and one Puerto Rican mayor.


Despite the growing population of Puerto Ricans in Florida, there is still a big difference as to its voting population.


One issue that is affecting the Puerto Rican US immigrant voters' involvement with the United States of America's elections is the lack of adequate political intelligence, necessary knowledge about the United States, and insufficient proficiency in the English language.


In the past, there had been intensive and active efforts to influence and encourage their voting population to participate in the elections and attend the campaigns of presidential hopefuls. This will help enlighten the advocacy of each candidate and improve the knowledge about the candidates and aid the Puerto Rican immigrants in choosing the right candidate who will protect and fight for the betterment of their community.


A good strategy for candidates who wants to entice Puerto Rican US immigrant voters to include them in their ballot boxes is to focus on the problematic points and provide solutions to the issues specific to their community. The candidate may also focus on the financial assistance and livelihood offers it will implement for the Puerto Rican community.

https://www.latinpost.com/articles/1...ant-voters.htm