Since 2023, Poder Com\u00fan has focused on working in Eastern Washington to increase Latino voter engagement in local elections by partnering with campaigns like Maria Beltran\u2019s, who is running for state senate in Washington\u2019s 14th legislative district. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beltran is one of four Latina candidates running for a seat in the 14th legislative district, where Latinos make up over 50%<\/a> of the voting population. \u201cIt felt like no one was looking out for us,\u201d she said. \u201cI felt like we were being left out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beltran said experience inspired her to attend school, help make a difference in her community, and ultimately run for office. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In a predominantly Latino district, the rise of Latina candidates on the ballot may encourage voters to vote in the upcoming local elections, Jimenez said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI feel like people definitely get excited and are more likely to vote if there’s somebody that looks like them and can understand them better,\u201d she added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Beltran\u2019s campaign has focused on targeting \u201clow-propensity voters\u201d, meaning they\u2019ve previously voted in major elections such as the 2020 election but haven\u2019t consistently engaged in local elections since. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNobody knew what a state senator was,\u201d Beltran said. \u201cA lot of it has come down to, historically, the people who have been representing us and who have been winning elections have never gone above and beyond to engage us in this electoral process.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n When talking to voters in these communities for Beltran\u2019s campaign, Jimenez recalls people telling her they hadn\u2019t voted because they believed their votes didn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To help mitigate this, Poder Com\u00fan and the Beltran campaign have made information accessible in English and Spanish. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u200b\u200bWe bring volunteers to engage voters in their language,\u201d Jimenez said, adding that they also focus on educating voters on the importance of local elections and how it can help them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Jimenez, when talking to voters, the most common issue Latino voters bring up is the economy due to the rising cost of living. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A recent report<\/a> found that Washington state was the 8th most expensive state for household bills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u200b\u200bI think one of the most important things for people in those areas is actually not immigration, like a lot of people assume,\u201d Jimenez said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Other issues voters said they were concerned about crime and violence, lack of infrastructure, and access to affordable healthcare and education. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Washington\u2019s 14th district received national attention after Latino voters filed a federal lawsuit in 2022, which alleged that the approved legislative district maps violated the federal Voting Rights Act by diluting the clout of Latino voters in Central Washington, according to The Seattle Times<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After voters won the lawsuit, the new maps used in this year\u2019s elections would give candidates like Beltran a shot at a seat in the state senate, currently occupied by Republican incumbent Curtis King, who has been in office since 2007. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think this redistricting will give Maria Beltran and anyone else at least a more fair opportunity and to at least have a chance,\u201d Jimenez said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Following the lawsuit, the 14th legislative district is one of the most closely watched races for the Washington legislature this year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For Jimenez, the main motivator for continuing this work is her conversations with voters who look like her and remind her of her own family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAfter going [to Eastern Washington] and experiencing voters there, I cannot turn my head around anymore,\u201d Jimenez said. \u201cIt’s almost impossible. You can\u2019t turn your head around when there’s so much need there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero is a journalist passionate about creating stories that spark conversations and inform readers. Through her reporting she hopes to empower underrepresented communities through human-interest storytelling. Her work has been featured in The Seattle Times, Samoa Observer, The News Tribune, and\u00a0other local publications. You can reach her at\u00a0jacquelynjmzr@gmail.com<\/a>\u00a0or on X\u00a0at: @journojacquelyn\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cWe have a population of people who have truly been left out,\u201d said Maria Jimenez, founder of Poder 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As a daughter of immigrants and farmworkers, Beltran said she remembers how her parents worked multiple laborious jobs to put food on the table and pay rent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/waln\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Tezza-9875-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n