📢
Welcome.
Axios Latino is the newsletter that summarizes the key news for Latino communities throughout the hemisphere every Tuesday and Thursday.
You can subscribe by clicking
here
.
1. The topic to highlight: More Latinos will be able to vote
Up to 36.2 million Latino people will be eligible to vote this year in the November general elections in the United States.
It is a new record for this community with high demographic growth that makes it increasingly crucial to determine the result in elections such as the presidential one between the current president, Joe Biden, and former president Donald Trump.
By the numbers:
The number of Latinos of legal age and legal voting status is expected to increase by 12% (or almost four million people) this year compared to the last presidential election, in 2020, according to an analysis from the Pew Research Center.
Latinos are projected to make up 14.7% of all people who can register to vote this November.
Yes, but:
About 31% of Hispanics who can vote are between 18 and 29 years old.
There is little information available about this group in surveys to predict whether they will go to the polls and what their preferences might be.
It is known that young voters of any racial or ethnic group have said in polls that they are not happy with Biden or have indicated that they might not participate in the elections.
It is also worth noting that in certain states there are restrictions on registering to vote that, according to activists, disproportionately affect Latino, black or indigenous people.
For example, requirements such as only accepting a driver's license as identification, when not all Latinos can process that credential due to issues such as not having a car.
In their own words:
"These numbers are a reminder that Latinos are a growing bloc of the electorate and that their power to influence election outcomes is real," says Tory Gavito, president and CEO of Way to Win, a group organization with a leftist tendency.
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Gavito pointed out that in this situation he considers it important that the parties have better strategies to appeal to the Latino vote.
For example, she believes that the Democratic Party usually talks a lot about the economic situation, but that what moves Latino voters most is explaining how this situation benefits their families.
More conservative groups
say the Republican Party also needs to work harder to avoid losing the ground it has paved in attracting young voters in recent elections.
Daniel Garza is president of the LIBRE Initiative, a libertarian-leaning analysis group.
Both he and the director of the same group, Jose Mallea, issued a recent memo in which they warn that the Republican Party must encourage more investments that benefit Latinos and mention more economic issues.
Along those same lines, the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez Jr., who directs the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, believes that Trump also needs to tone down his rhetoric about Latino immigrants, since Rodriguez says that otherwise Latino evangelical voters like him, they will prefer not to vote on election day.
Between the lines:
Biden's campaign says it has been dedicating funds from the start to targeting young Black and Latino people, as well as sending Vice President Kamala Harris to events.
The campaign has launched six different ads targeting Latinos in recent months in Spanish, English and
Spanglish , through
streaming
services
and on YouTube.
"We know we can't take young Latino voters for granted. That's why we're investing earlier and more than ever to reach Latino voters, including a historic and unprecedented investment in Hispanic media advertising space," he said. Kevin Muñoz, national spokesperson for the Biden and Harris Campaign.
The Trump
campaign
did not respond to requests from Axios Latino for comment on its outreach to young Latino voters.
The Republican National Committee also did not respond.
2. Latinos on alert for automation plans in hospitality jobs
Latino workers in Las Vegas say they are concerned about the increase in automation of some jobs in the service and hospitality sectors.
Why it matters:
Latinos make up more than half of the members of Las Vegas' largest hospitality workers union, the Culinary Union.
Details:
Robot masseuses, cooks and a bartender powered by artificial intelligence were unveiled last month during the CES technology trade event in Las Vegas.
Barista robots are already being used in some parts of the city.
In his own words:
"Well, they are taking away our job itself, right? If they bring new technology, it is very good; if we have training for that it is good [...] But when it comes to our positions, well yes It affects us a lot," Samantha LeĂłn, who has worked as a cashier and waitress in several hotels and casinos, tells Noticias Telemundo.
The other perspective:
People at the technology companies that are developing the robots and programs say they don't want to replace workers but rather seek to alleviate labor shortages in certain industries.
"And not only is there a labor shortage, but wages are also increasing dramatically... we are trying to solve those two big problems," Yuji Shiraki, CEO of the company that developed the device, told The Associated Press. cook robot
3. More green areas in Los Angeles and Chicago
The GreenLatinos organization, focused on environmental issues and seeking to combat the effects of climate change, is launching an important initiative to revitalize outdoor spaces in three cities with high rates of Latino population: Los Angeles, Chicago and Albuquerque.
Why it matters:
Spending time outdoors improves overall well-being.
However, several studies have found that in neighborhoods with a high Latino population there is less access to such green and recreational areas.
A green area at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque campusSam Wasson/Getty Images
Details:
GreenLatinos announced that it will distribute 2.6 million dollars to improve urban parks, gardens and forests in the three aforementioned cities, located respectively in California, Illinois and New Mexico.
The organization said that on February 20, calls will open for local organizations that want to request funds for their neighborhoods.
They will close on March 8.
In his own words:
The initiative, which is part of the Bezos Earth Fund's Greening America, will "address inequalities and combat the disastrous legacy of policies" that have contributed to a disparity in access to certain services, according to the president and CEO by GreenLatinos, Mark Magaña.
4. They warn of misuse of AI in politics
Voting rights activists in the United States are urging Congress to pass legislation to address what they consider to be misuse of artificial intelligence ahead of the November elections.
Why it matters:
Various disinformation or misinformation campaigns have long targeted Latinos living in the United States.
This is partly because American Latino communities are more likely to use social media where hoaxes are spread and partly because those hoaxes are sometimes in Spanish, a language less monitored by certain companies.
The latest
: The Federal Electoral Commission announced this Thursday the ban on the use of voices generated by AI in electoral robocalls.
General overview:
So far this year, calls have already been made with a voice generated by AI that copies that of the president, Joe Biden, and manipulated images spread on networks have also been reported;
data phishing
attacks
disguised as election calls, as well as computer-generated videos that could confuse voters.
Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
With this, it is clear that artificial intelligence could play an important role in the elections, especially given the proliferation of
deep fakes
, or manipulated videos, according to certain groups.
Among them are Public Citizen and the Brennan Center for Justice, which called on the US Congress and various federal agencies to take action before it is too late.
Details:
Public Citizen, a progressive think tank, is urging the Federal Election Commission to ban the use of
deep fakes
in political ads.
The Brennan Center for Justice, a progressive public policy institute, is pushing lawmakers to pass a plan called the Voter Intimidation and Deceptive Practices Prevention Act.
The legislative proposal would make voter deception a federal crime.
5. Summary of key news in Latin America and the Caribbean
1.
Former Honduran President
Juan Orlando Hernández faces a federal trial in the United States on drug trafficking charges starting next week.
Shortly before it began, two co-defendants pleaded guilty to drug trafficking.
That means that these former officials (former police chief Carlos Bonilla and former police officer Mauricio Hernández, also cousin of Juan Orlando Hernández), could become witnesses.
The president of Honduras between 2014 and 2022 was extradited to the United States shortly after leaving office.
Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios
2.
Argentine President
Javier Milei suffered a setback this week when his huge and controversial reform package was returned to legislative committee discussions after a debate in the plenary session of Congress.
The bill, with more than 500 articles, included provisions for the privatization of state companies and would have allowed Milei to have decree power for at least a year for security, economic, energy and other issues.
Milei criticized the legislators and said: "We will continue with our program with or without the support of the political leadership."
Pachanga Thursday
Every Thursday we publish our Pachanga to highlight reader achievements.
If you or someone you know has just celebrated an anniversary, adopted a pet, or had a job success and wants to celebrate, send an email with information and a photo to
axioslatino@axios.com
Photo courtesy of Ernesto Moreno.
Background Illustration by Axios Visuals
Today we applaud Giovanna Torres and Alexander Piñeres, who launched the Charlotte Latino Film Festival in North Carolina.
The couple has been organizing a Latin American film series in Charlotte since 2020. But they tell us that this year it officially grew so much that it became a festival.
Congratulations!
Thanks for reading us!
We return on Tuesday.
And thanks to Carlos Cunha, Bruno GarcĂa Gallo
and Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath for helping review and edit.
If you want to share your experiences with us or send us suggestions and comments, send an email to
axioslatino@axios.com
.
Do you want to read any of the previous editions?
Latino voices in the fight for abortion rights in Texas: "It hurts me that these stories are not told as much"
Why Bukele's re-election in El Salvador was almost assured
A four-day work week: change is beginning to take shape in Latin America