As concerns about immigration enforcement spread through Santa Clara County and California, community advocates are working to reassure residents that they can safely participate in Tuesday’s election.
Amigos de Guadalupe Center for Justice and Empowerment organized a get-out-the-vote rally Monday outside Mexican Heritage Plaza in East San Jose, bringing together elected officials, community leaders and residents to encourage Latino and immigrant voters to cast their ballots.
Maritza Maldonado, CEO of Amigos de Guadalupe, said residents have been reaching out with questions about whether it is safe to vote amid heightened concerns about immigration enforcement.
“I think in East San Jose, historically, people are disenfranchised and feel their vote doesn’t matter,” Maldonado told San José Spotlight. “What we wanted to do today is just uplift and say, ‘Your vote does matter.’”
Maldonado said questions have come in from people in her own community, including members of her church. She said the organization wants to reassure residents they can take part in the election and help them get to the polls.
That sentiment comes amid a history of low Latino voter participation in Santa Clara County. During the June 2022 primary election, 27% of registered Latino voters cast ballots, compared with 33% of Asian voters, 44% of white voters and 49% of Black voters, according to Political Data Intelligence data.
Santa Clara County voters can find nearby ballot drop-off locations and vote centers through the Registrar of Voters website. Residents can also call the office’s toll-free number at (866) 430-8683 for election information.
District 5 San Jose Councilmember Peter Ortiz, who represents East San Jose where Mexican Heritage Plaza is located, said decades of underinvestment in neighborhoods such as Mayfair have contributed to residents’ distrust of government and elected officials. Ortiz said voting gives residents a way to influence decisions about the resources and services their neighborhoods receive, from parks to funding from state and federal governments.
“We’ve always seen a fear of our Latinos when it comes to voting and civic participation. Even when they become citizens,” Ortiz told San José Spotlight.“If we don’t vote, then our voice is not counted.”
While Ortiz emphasized the importance of voting in shaping neighborhood priorities, East San Jose resident Gela Chiprez said casting a ballot for the first time in 2024 after becoming a U.S. citizen was a memorable experience. Now her husband recently registered to vote and will be casting his ballot for the first time in Tuesday’s election.
“We need to use that privilege to bring resources to our community, like funding to our schools, parks and libraries,” Chiprez said at the rally. “We can’t be silent, we can’t afford to sit the election out. So if you are a registered voter, I ask you to vote. We have a unique responsibility of giving our broader immigrant community a voice.”
While community leaders are encouraging Latino residents to participate, some elected officials are also emphasizing the protections available to voters who encounter intimidation or interference.
Congressman Sam Liccardo, who represents California’s 16th Congressional District, urged residents to register, track their ballots and report any federal officials who appear to be interfering with voters near polling places.
“If you see federal officials who appear to be interfering or intimidating people anywhere around a voting center, please call a multilingual line (866) 687-8683,” Liccardo said at the rally. “That is very important to us. And I say us, because we’re filing lots of lawsuits, and we’re gonna make sure people are held accountable.”
Contact Maryanne Casas-Perez at maryanne@sanjosespotlight.com or @mexicanredhead on Instagram.
This story originally appeared in San José Spotlight.