Polarized politics galvanizes Latino, women voters
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KTVU) - Experts say the polarizing state of national politics seems to be galvanizing certain voting blocks such as Latinos and women, which could translate to big numbers at the polls.
Advocates with SIREN! (Services Immigrant Rights & Education Network) have been working towards a goal of getting immigrants, especially Latinos to the polls for months. They've registered 15,000 new voters, sent 3,500 texts, and knocked on 5,000 doors.
They think, come Election Day, they'll be a force to be reckoned with.
"We hold the collective power to shift the political landscape in our region, in our state, we don't consider ourselves the sleeping giant. We are the giant," said Jeremy Barousse, SIREN! director of civic engagement.
For some Latino voters, it's been immigration issues like detention centers and the migrant caravan. But they're not alone.
Women voters are also rallying in large numbers.
"I think there has been a lot of mobilization that hasn't been there before, from personal experience, I have seen my friends go out and canvas, not just in their own neighborhoods, but travel to different districts," said Sita Stukes with Women's March San Jose.
They say, even though this is a midterm election, there seems to be a lot at stake.
"Certain rights are under attack and people do feel that it's necessary to be more vocal in order to protect what we have," Stukes said.
Garrick Percival, with San Jose State University, believes voter turnout will be high across the board.
But he believes there may be the widest gender gap since the 1950s with early polls showing men skewing more Republican, and women more Democrat.
"I think we're going to see a lot of women turning out to vote. I think that's been very clear a lot of the early vote is women. And I think we're going to see a high gender gap and those can be the things that tip the outcome in these races," Percival said.
Santa Clara County has also set a new record for the number of registered voters.