The Texas Newsroom — a collaboration between NPR and public radio stations across Texas — has spent the last few months asking Latino voters what they hope candidates know about them and their community, along with what they think elected officials should prioritize.
Not surprisingly, Latinos in Texas are not a monolithic voting bloc. Their concerns vary widely and include a vast spectrum of current issues. We’ve added more voices from across the state, which you can listen to above (You can also share your thoughts through the form at the bottom of this page.)
Click here to read the first installment from this project.
Voters who spoke with Texas public radio reporters include Matthew Sanchez, a student at Texas A&M–Corpus Christi. He said healthcare availability tops his list of priorities. He's also thinking about education funding since several members of his family are teachers who he believes are vastly underpaid.
“I would just hope that they get access to more benefits or higher salaries through the state,” he said.
Victoria Sanchez, who lives in Dallas, said one of her biggest concerns is school safety, especially in light of the tragedy at an Uvalde elementary school in May.
“I have little siblings, they go to school. So when that happened, everything just hit me,” Sanchez said. “I was like, that could happen to any kid, that could happen to my siblings.”
Edwin Edwards, who spoke to a reporter in Corpus Christi, said his list of concerns is lengthy and includes issues ranging from abortion to gun rights to foreign affairs. On international relations, he said it’s not just the war between Russia and Ukraine that needs to be addressed, but also the U.S.’s relationship with China, Taiwan and Iran, among other places.
“I am actually thinking about the protests in Iran right now. I am really concerned [and] focused on that, and I’d like to know what our candidates are thinking about that,” Edwards said.
Texas is in the middle of early voting with the races for Texas governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general at the top of the ballot. There are also several seats for U.S. Congress on local ballots, including some in South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley, where Republicans have focused their energy on making gains in traditionally Democratic strongholds.
Andrew Schneider, Cathy Edwards, Lon Gonzalez and Pablo Arauz Pena contributed reporting to this story.
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