Latina Women in Arizona Expected to Lead Large Voter Turnout in This Election

four women standing at polling booths

By Alicia Barrón

September 24, 2020

“Women voters are important in all elections. They are the majority of voters.”

Women have been the majority of voters in every national election since 1964. In fact, women donated $100 million more to campaigns and causes in 2018 than they did in 2016. Two years ago, a record 127 women were elected to serve in Congress.

Supermajority is tapping into this power by mobilizing women and encouraging activism. The organization is training and mobilizing people of all ages, races, and backgrounds who are fighting for gender equality.

Southwest Regional Organizing Director Paloma Arroyo told The Copper Courier that Supermajority and the Supermajority Education Fund were launched in April 2019 with the goal of connecting women with each other in order to build on their collective power by offering information, training, and resources so they can take action in communities, in the workplace, and in the voting booth.

“Now a year and a half later, we have nearly 1 million folks in our community,” Arroyo explained. “Our work, especially mine, involves ensuring that women have the information, resources, and the community they need to participate in the upcoming election.”

This year, Supermajority is focusing on three key states: Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Arizona. With that in mind, they hosted “Superlocal” events where people were invited to join Supermajority or to become a volunteer. The idea was that those who attended the events would then have the resources they needed to share with friends and family. 

Arroyo said, “Our Supermajors program will train 2,500 women to contact 2 million women to get them to vote this fall. … We are trying to do something no other organization has done before, which is run the largest woman-to-woman voter engagement program.”

Supermajority is giving women the tools they need to fight voter suppression by creating a community of women ranging across age, race, background, and geography.

Women make up the majority of organizers, donors, and activists across the country. Arroyo said women of color are particularly overrepresented in the pandemic and the current economic crisis. “Many are voting this year because their lives depend on it — that’s important.”

Arroyo joined Supermajority as a regional organizing director for the Southwest, particularly focused on Arizona. She’s hosted ‘Superlocal’ virtual rallies featuring grassroots organizations and elected officials to tell voters, particularly women, how they can access resources that can positively impact their communities. There are also other programs like Superwoman Tuesdays and Wednesdays, where volunteers participate in text and phone banks, as well as write letters to what she described as “high-opportunity voters.”

Arroyo pointed out that this year has magnified broken systems and institutions. “We have a health-care system that lacks accessible and affordable coverage, a lack of reliable, affordable, and safe child-care options, a surge in unfair labor practices due to COVID-19, and climate and racial injustice threatening our communities. All of these concerns [are] impacting Black, Indigenous, and women of color disproportionately.”

Arizona is undoubtedly a battleground state this election season. And women voters, particularly Latinas, are key. For the first time in history, Latinx voters are expected to be the nation’s largest racial minority in a presidential election, according to the Pew Research Center. Latinx voters in Arizona make up nearly a third of Arizona’s population and are expected to comprise nearly a quarter of voters in the state for the presidential election. 

“Specifically, Latina women in Arizona are expected to lead this large voter turnout based on their voting patterns over the years, and it’s time that campaigns start acting like it by investing in effective and culturally competent outreach,” Arroyo said. Just translating materials is not enough, she added.

“Latinas are natural organizers—whether it’s family gatherings, church functions, or community events—we consistently see them taking the lead,” Arroyo said. “They’re likely to encourage friends and family to vote. Latinas will lead our communities forward—we just need to embrace their leadership!”

Those interested in joining Supermarjoity’s efforts can sign up to be a founding member of the community at no cost here.

On Sept. 26, Supermajority is hosting its Day of Action, launching “Supercharge 2020: Women All In” to encourage diverse and powerful women leaders to recharge and connect.

Superlocal events are expected to be held periodically in key states they are focusing on, including Arizona. More information will be shared on their social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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CATEGORIES: POLITICS

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