Hillsborough nonprofit boosting Hispanic turnout in primary

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — A local nonprofit is working to boost turnout among Hispanic voters in Hillsborough County primary elections by hosting a candidate forum and sharing information about the election process.

Enterprising Latinas hosted the forum for the first time, giving voters a chance to hear directly from candidates, regardless of political party affiliation.

The organization hopes the event will increase civic engagement within the Hispanic community ahead of this year’s elections. “Voting is the heart of America,” said Liz Gutierrez, founder of Enterprising Latinas.

Gutierrez said many of the nonprofit’s Hispanic members are registered to vote, but language barriers and uncertainty about where and how to vote can keep some people from casting a ballot.

“We lack in understanding about how the electoral system works, so this is an opportunity for us to begin to break down some of those barriers,” Gutierrez said.

More than 100,000 Hispanic voters are registered to vote in Hillsborough County.

Susan MacManus, a University of South Florida professor emeritus, said trusted community organizations can play an important role in increasing voter participation.

“The Hispanic vote is very community-focused, and the Hispanic community in the Tampa Bay area is very tight — neighborhoods, organizations and so forth,” MacManus said.

Despite the large number of registered Hispanic voters, Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer said those numbers are often not reflected in primary elections.

He said some voters may not understand that they can participate in a primary. “They don’t know that they can vote in the primary. They may be unaffiliated and think that there’s nothing for them to vote on.”

Latimer said Hispanic voter turnout is typically much stronger during general elections. In 2024, he said 71% of registered Hispanic voters cast a ballot in Hillsborough County.

Latimer said his office also works to make polling places accessible for voters. “When they walk in a polling site, they should feel comfortable because all the signage is in English and Spanish,” Latimer said. “We have Spanish speakers in the polling site to be able to assist them if they need anything.”

For Enterprising Latinas, its goal is to make sure voters have the information they need to take part.

“So in big ways and in small ways, we want to encourage people to see how important their voice is to our democracy,” Gutierrez said.

Early voting is underway, and Primary Election Day is Aug. 18. The Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Office said Spanish-language sample ballots have been sent to voters who requested them.