Following the record-breaking midterm turnout of 2018, Latinas are expected to play a decisive role in the upcoming elections.

According to Pew Research, 55%of women who were eligible to vote cast ballots in the 2018 midterms in November, compared to 51% of men.

This finding is compounded with the large voter-gap between women and male Latinx voters. It was also found Hispanics had a gender gap in voting preference, with 73% of Hispanic women and 63% of Hispanic men backing the Democratic congressional candidates.

In the study, Hispanic women were also found to be more dissatisfied with the way things are going in the country today compared to men

The New York Times recently referred to the Latino vote as a “sleeping giant” that has recently awakened. It’s true. Past elections have shown the Latinx population as one that doesn’t show up to the polls. However Latinx turnout in the 2018 elections was 40.4% – a 50% increase from the 2014 midterms.

It’s not just because of the numbers. Latina voters are more likely to encourage friends and family to vote too, reported The World. 

A report on Latina Voters in 2020 by EquisResearch shows major levels of support among Latinas of all ages at the Presidential level, with critical support on key issues showing Latinas are farmore anti-Trump than Latinos.

“The role that Latinas play in our communities and our families, they're our matriarchs, they're the glue that holds our families and our communities together,” Stephanie Valencia, co-founder and president of EquisLabs said.

“We believe that they will not just turn out to vote themselves, but that they will organize and engage others around them to go and vote as well,” Valencia continued.

And, with presidential nominee Joe Biden announcing his running mate will be a woman, this appeals to women voters as a whole.

Amy Klobuchar recently took her name out of the running-mate vetting process, saying the candidate should be a woman of color.

According to a Latino Decisions poll, 72% of respondents said they would be more likely show-up to the polls in November if Biden chooses a Latina as his running mate, with 67% saying this would inspire them to support Biden.

The path to victory may be through the Latina vote.