Three emerging young leaders in North Texas have different political opinions, but a common goal: getting more Latinos out to vote.
Nicolás Quintanilla, 19, Joshua García, 24, and Rogelio Meixueiro, 27, are working to inform Latinos in North Texas about the 2024 elections.
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They talk about things like deadlines and requirements and where local and national candidates stand on issues like reproductive rights, the economy, immigration and public safety.
“Latinos are the future of the state and the nation. We have to make our voice heard and elect as many representatives as possible who will defend our community,” Meixueiro said.
More than 6.4 million Hispanic citizens over the age of 18 live in Texas, the second largest number only behind California’s 8.5 million, according to Census data.
Rogelio Meixueiro speaks with Caitlin Kline, owner of LoveLady, a boutique on Jefferson Boulevard, on October 11, 2024.(Chitose Suzuki / Staff Photographer)
In the 2020 elections, 59% of Latino voters voted for Biden and 38% for Trump nationally, indicates an analysis by the Pew Research Center.
Nearly a third of Latinos qualified to vote are between 18 and 29 years old, according to UnidosUS, a nonpartisan organization that advocates for Hispanic civil rights.
In a national survey of nearly 3,000 Hispanic voters released by UnidosUS in September, 48% of respondents in that age segment said they had not been contacted by any party about voting in this election.
That’s one of the reasons why Quintanilla, García and Meixueiro each began knocking on doors, setting up tables at events, schools and businesses, and posting on social media about the positions of Democratic and Republican candidates.
family thing
Quintanilla grew up in Dallas and was exposed to politics as a child.
His father, Carlos Quintanilla, ran several times as a Democrat and independent, unsuccessfully, for Dallas’ 33rd Congressional District.
Attending political rallies and knocking on doors was part of his childhood, but it never occurred to him to think that he would do the same as his father.
“Sometimes it was annoying, but now I see it as valuable,” Quintanilla said. “I’m glad I got to know what it’s like to be involved in politics.”
Nicolás Quintanilla has gone door to door to campaign for Jason Metcalf for Dallas commissioner.(Shafkat Anowar / Staff Photographer)
But when he was 15, his then-girlfriend became pregnant, and they didn’t know what to do.
They were too young to be parents and care for a baby, she thought, but having an abortion was not the right thing to do, in both of their opinions.
They decided to have their son.
“My baby is my blessing. “I believe in life,” Quintanilla said.
“That time in my life made me question my values and how they coincided with political candidates and their actions when it came to abortion.”
Quintanilla used to campaign only for the Democratic Party locally and nationally, but toward the end of last year he became more inclined to support Republican candidates.
He said reproductive rights, the rising cost of living and a lack of support from the local Democratic community pushed him to support some conservatives.
Now his mission is to build a bridge between Republican candidates and the Latino community.
He says Republicans are often portrayed as enemies of the Hispanic population, but Quintanilla believes that GOP candidates want the Latino community to prosper and are aware of the power they have in the country.
In early October, Quintanilla and a team of five volunteers canvassed a section of Garland for Jason Metcalf, a Republican candidate for Dallas County Precinct 1 commissioner in an attempt to unseat Democratic incumbent Theresa Daniel.
Most of the people who opened their doors were reluctant to listen, but Quintanilla explained what the commissioners do and the current problems at the Dallas County Juvenile Hall.
Children at the Dallas County Juvenile Detention Center were illegally isolated for several days, without due process and deprived of education, exercise, outdoor recreation and bathrooms, as The Dallas Morning News reported this month.
Quintanilla speaks first in Spanish, then in English, and then in Spanglish, a mix of the two languages, and people respond to him in the same way.
He says that in the last year he has noticed an increase in Latinos who want to vote for former President Donald Trump and the Republican Party in general.
“The idea that all Latinos vote the same and for the Democratic Party is old,” Quintanilla said.
Quintanilla wants Latinos to know about each of the candidates and vote for the person and not the political party.
He, for his part, does not support any of the presidential candidates.
He believes that if Vice President Kamala Harris wins, she will continue the policies of President Joe Biden’s administration.
What disenchanted Quintanilla with the Democrats was that they had not approved immigration reform.
He says he wouldn’t vote for Trump either because of the way he spoke about immigrants and some Mexicans.
When Trump launched his political career in 2015, he said Mexico was sending “people who have a lot of problems… they bring drugs, they bring crime; They are rapists, and some, I suppose, are good people.”
But Quintanilla says some Latinos, mainly men, tell him they want to vote for Trump because of his economic policies and that the economy was better under the Trump administration.
Quintanilla believes that the more young people get involved, the more they will be able to learn and advocate for their community.
How they view immigration
Garcia grew up in Garland and his parents are originally from Mexico and Colombia. He was one of the volunteers who went knocking on doors with Quintanilla.
García identifies as conservative and independent, and thinks that what is important are candidates and the solutions they propose.
Joshua García (left) and Nicolás Quintanilla campaign for Jason Metcalf for Dallas commissioner, walking the streets of the city, on October 3, 2024.(Shafkat Anowar / Staff Photographer)
At the local level he supports Republican candidates, and at the national level, he believes that Harris should be the next president of the country.
He supports Harris because he believes the country needs a more humane approach to immigration.
García was born in the United States. His family immigrated to Florida more than 30 years ago in search of a better life. It was only last year that his family returned to Colombia to visit.
“It was something magical,” Garcia said. “Families should not have to wait so long to receive their papers, especially if they pay taxes and contribute to the economy.”
García says that young people often tell him that they want to vote and participate in politics to represent their parents who are without immigration papers.
Latino voters in Texas want the government to combat human smugglers and drug traffickers, according to UnidosUS poll.
They also want to give undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children, known as Dreamers, a chance to obtain citizenship.
García is more interested in a candidate who offers a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
“We (Latinos) vote so differently because we are all different. What matters to me may be different than what my friends care about, and that’s okay. That’s why we live in a democracy,” García said.
Climate change
Rogelio Meixueiro was born and raised in Oaxaca, Mexico, and immigrated to Dallas at the age of 16.
In 2015, Trump’s comments about the Mexican immigrant community motivated him to get involved in politics.
But the breaking point for Rojo, as he is known in the community, was the 2021 freeze in Texas, which claimed the lives, directly or indirectly, of 246 people in the state and left 4.5 million homes and businesses without electricity. some for several days, according to the Department of State Health Services.
“I couldn’t just watch and do nothing. I knew we had to do something to change how and who governs our state,” Meixueiro said.
He described himself as a person with progressive views who leans more toward Democratic candidates.
As an environmental student at the University of Texas at Arlington, climate change is one of the things that interests him most when it comes to candidates and their proposals.
On Oct. 7, the last day to register to vote, Meixueiro and two other volunteers set up a table at UT Arlington.
They were handing out stickers and candy and put up a sign reminding people to register.
Most of the students who approached did not know if they were registered to vote, and Meixueiro gave them a QR code to see if they were qualified.
He asked them how much they spent on food, whether they could afford to live alone, and how much they spent on transportation to school.
“It’s a matter of figuring out the tangible things that interest them,” Meixueiro said.
“Students are also aware and concerned about climate change. Regardless of which candidate or political party they support, the majority are concerned about the future of the environment.”
Meixueiro says she has seen an increasing number of young Latina women wanting to participate in political decisions, such as voting and attending political rallies, to advocate for their reproductive rights.
“Latin women are the future of the country,” she said. “They will be the majority, and their voices must be heard. Local and national candidates should pay attention to them.”
One thing that Meixueiro has noticed when someone invites young people to vote is that many times the person doing it is not like them and tells the “kids” to go and cast their vote.
“It’s not so much the message but the messenger,” Meixueiro added.
“We need more people who are like the students, their own age, and who know what they are going through to really connect with them.”
Meixueiro tries to connect with everyone regardless of which political party they support.
When he talks to students or young people who identify with the Republican Party, they often address the topic of their religion and how it influences their opinion on abortion.
“I can always talk to them. I think it is important to listen and know why they are going to vote for this or that candidate,” Meixueiro said.
Quintanilla and Meixueiro know each other and have worked together on past occasions.
Despite their differences in political opinions and candidates, they agree that it is necessary to get more Latinos to the polls and expand democracy.
“We need people from both sides of the political spectrum to stand up for our community and represent us,” Meixueiro said.
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