The number of early voters in Mecklenburg County is down by nearly 9% from 2020 during the pandemic. Like the state, more people voted early in person this year and fewer by absentee ballots. But the number of Latino voters in Mecklenburg County casting their ballots early was up.
In Mecklenburg County, 20,582 Hispanics cast their ballots early. That’s 4.5% of early voters. Of those Hispanics who cast a ballot, 9,352 are registered as Democrat; 2,902 are registered as Republican; and 7,960 are registered as unaffiliated.
Over the weekend, Democrats and Republicans continued to court Latino voters.
The Latino Civic Engagement Committee, a nonpartisan voter engagement organization, was at the Day of the Dead Festival on Saturday at Camp North End. They encouraged registered voters to cast their ballots. The organization has a goal of getting 30,000 registered Hispanic voters in Mecklenburg County out to the polls.
Volunteers with the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party's Hispanic Caucus were also at Saturday's festival. They transported people in golf carts to a nearby early voting site.
“We want to set the example here in this county, for the rest of the nation, that the Latino vote has to be empowered, and has to be awarded, and has to be respected," MeckDems coalitions organizer Fabian Valerio said.
The Libre Initiative, a conservative organization, focused on knocking on doors of Latino households over the weekend.
“We are hitting the doors hard,” Libre Initiative's Gerardo Lora said. “The Latino vote, especially in this election, is going to be pretty meaningful. It's going to be probably the tipping balance in this election.”
Nearly 1,500 more Hispanics in Mecklenburg County voted early this year compared to 2020.
