As a former active duty military member, I fought to protect democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan. This cycle, when our democracy has never felt more precarious, I am joining the fight to ensure that we protect our country's sacred electoral process and the progress made during the past three years. 

2024 will be among Nevada's most consequential presidential cycles, and Latino voters will be a critical determining factor in the victory of this must-win battleground state. To win this cycle, we need investment and engagement now. As the new state director of Mi Familia Vota, we are ready for the fight. 

After the 2016 election, I got into politics because I noticed many veterans were disengaging from politics. I had committed to dying to protect people's freedom to vote abroad, but I was not doing that where I lived. So, as I had committed to protect our democracy away from home, I made that same commitment here. 

Nevada has always represented an opportunity to me, a place to come to start again. It is an attractive place to live for many Latinos because of its affordability and the city's constant growth. It is a place where you can make a home for yourself if you work hard. And then the pandemic hit, and so many people were left hurting. 

Wages needed to catch up to what families were spending, and housing was getting more expensive. As I started a family, I felt that crushing burden daily. Because so many Latinos voted in 2020, we won in Nevada. For the first time in a long time, the government invested in people, not corporations and the super-wealthy.  

Since then, things have improved; we have seen wage gains, inflation has declined, and we are providing funds to help small businesses. We have made progress, but there is more to do to continue to lower costs and burdens for Nevadans. Unfortunately, as recent polling from Mi Familia Vota and UnidosUS shows, Latino voters are still very anxious about the economy:

Nevada Latinos’ top issues are consistent with Latinos across the country: inflation, jobs, health care costs, housing costs, crime/guns, and immigration. Food and necessities, housing, rent, gasoline, and health insurance are the principal issues driving inflation concerns. 

2024 is shaping to be another critical year for Latino voters in Nevada. There are 2,290,361 registered voters in Nevada, of which 401,842, or 18.1 percent, are Latino.

We have work to do; a hundred thousand Latinos have not registered this cycle. Moreover, there are 50,528 young Latinos in Nevada who will reach voting age in the November election. Remember in 2022, fewer than a hundred thousand voters determined the results for many of the election’s races. Our community’s vote is critical to victory this cycle. 

That is why Mi Familia Vota is launching the Civic Action Leadership Development seminars in Spanish to expand our reach with Latino voters this cycle. We must help educate the community about how to vote, the progress made, and how they can improve their lives by participating in our elections.

The Seminarios para Capacitar Líderes en Acción Cívica (SYCLAC) program facilitates education and civic engagement in Spanish. Through the program, we empower the Latino community to take action to make positive changes in their communities. We desire every Latino in Nevada to exercise their power to influence the decisions made in our communities.

To win this cycle, we need investment and engagement now; we cannot afford to wait until the summer. As a former soldier, I know we can accomplish big things through discipline, teamwork, and determination. This election cycle, long-term community engagement is needed to leverage the power and influence of Latino voters in Nevada. 

Manuel Santamaria is the Nevada state director for Mi Familia Vota.

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