Latino voters are credited with coming out in large numbers yesterday for President Barack Obama to help him secure a second term. Locally, Latino voters came to the polls with mostly one issue on their minds.
Surprisingly, almost everyone had the same answer when asked questions like, "What issues are most important to you in this election?" and "What brought you out to vote today?"
Rocío Gonzalez, a voter waiting in line, said, "One of the reasons I came out to vote is that I don’t want there to be any more cuts to schools. It’s the children who are being affected the most" (translated from Spanish).
Another voter, Antonio Rosas, said, “I came to vote to bring more money to the schools here in Oakland so that the money goes directly to the schools. And also for Barack Obama” (translated from Spanish).
Maria De Leon came out of the station carrying her young grandson in one arm and a stack of ballot stubs in the other. She agreed that fixing the Oakland schools was her number one issue.
“And who’s going to do that? A good president," said De Leon. "If they make promises, they need to keep them. Because when they’re up for election, they promise a lot. But then what happens? They leave and they’ve done nothing” (translated from Spanish).
The latest U.S. Census numbers show that 38 percent of California’s population is Latino. With education bringing this voting bloc out to the polls, at least in Oakland, it just may be one of the keys to Proposition 30’s success.
