Latinas in Boyle Heights campaign for Kamala Harris in battleground states

On Thursday afternoon, a group of volunteers gathered in East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights to make phone calls for Kamala Harris for president.  With laptops, headphones and a script on hand, volunteers made the calls, some of them specifically in Spanish. 

Among them were Rosalba Sernas and Mayvorly Boj, who were paying close attention to the training they were receiving before starting their phone calls.

Sernas said she is motivated by Harris' campaign because she hopes that a woman will become president of the United States for the first time in history. As a mother and daughter, she identifies with the numerous plans that Harris has presented. These include reproduction rights, the economy, more social security for the elderly, immigration, the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit.

Sernas said she commutes from Culver City to Boyle Heights to volunteer and it’s worth it because it is vital to have women helping other women. 

“One phone call, a little volunteering time can make a difference,” she said, adding that she is also phone banking for other women candidates at local and federal level. 

Boj said she is volunteering mainly because she sees her daughter getting very excited about the possibility of having the first female president. She said she has noticed that the younger voters are paying more attention and getting excited for Kamala.

“It is very exciting to see that we could have a woman president on both sides of the border now that Mexico has a female president,” she said. “Also, my daughter has big dreams of having Kamala as the president, and her dream is my dream,” Boj said. 

Emiliana Guereca, executive director of Women’s March Action, an entity that focuses on building women's political power to increase their representation in government, said that they are opening the doors for volunteers and providing them with training and tools needed to have successful campaigns. 

She said that when she started the organization in 2017 she knew Boyle Heights was the perfect location to open up a space to mobilize the vote across the country for women, and in this case specifically for a woman president. 

“The daughter of immigrants is running for president. That is inspirational, that gives me hope for our country,” she said. 

Focusing on battleground states

These last days of campaigning are crucial in certain states like Arizona and Nevada. The Latino vote is key to moving the needle. Because a significant number of voters don’t speak English in these battle states, the volunteers at Harris’ East Side campaigns office are focusing on making phone calls in Spanish. 

Sernas said she feels motivated to make the phone calls in her native language because, in other states, there are women who identify with Harris’ ideals but don’t have the support or access to information on how to vote.

“We see in this moment, it doesn’t matter where you are from. What matters is that we work together to achieve our goal of having Kamala as president,” Sernas said.

Guereca said the phone calls in Spanish are coming out of California because this state has often led the way. She said that at this point, Spanish-speaking voters have to be heard, not just in California, which is considered a safe state, but in other states like Wisconsin and Illinois. 

“Latinas are the largest voting block and the youngest voting block currently. So we need to make sure that we continue to bring in people,” she explained. “We train people here every single day, even if they only volunteer for an hour. That's enough to reach voters in Michigan and Wisconsin and Arizona or Pennsylvania.”

Kamala's approach to Latinos

Later in the evening, volunteers and supporters gathered in Gallo Plaza in East Los Angeles for a viewing party to watch Kamala Harris town hall, hosted by Univision-Televisa in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This event was focused on undecided Latino voters living in swing states like Nevada and Arizona. A question that resonated with the audience was about undocumented immigrants living in the country for decades without the possibility of legalizing their status. Harris wasn’t able to provide a specific answer but 

While Kamala’s campaign is working hard to appeal to these Latino voters, a recent poll showed that more Latinos in these states are opting for her opponent, former president Donald Trump. 

Recent polls from the Economist/YouGov show that the gap among Latino voters is narrowing as time passes. In September, the poll showed Kamala had 59% Latino voter support versus Trump’s 30%. However, by October 7, the poll showed Harris leading with 48% and Trump following very closely with 43%. 

There are approximately 36.2 million, or 14.7%, of eligible Latino voters, becoming the second-largest group after white voters, according to the Pew Research Center. That is close to four million more than in 2020. About half are expected to cast their ballots including those in battle states such as Arizona and Nevada. 

Guereca said volunteers are much needed to make phone calls in English or Spanish. Interested people can contact the Women’s March Action office, which is open every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 3 to7 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to phone bank for the women candidates they are supporting, including Kamala Harris. 

“Even if you donate 30 mins or one hour to make phone calls that’s enough,” Guereca said. 

The office is located at 1862 E. 1st Street in Boyle Heights. 

For more information visit womensmarchaction.com