Thread by @stephanievalenc

Read my new @Medium piece
Solving for X: Here’s How the LatinX Electorate Will Define the Next Election
link.medium.com/zX1rAnOSwZ
Some hot takes here
[THREAD] 1/

The largest + fastest growing group in the US today is the LatinX voter: the median age of the community is 28 yrs old, with the fastest growing part of the pop under 5. There are 32 million eligible Latinx voters in 2020, making us the lgst minority group in this election 2/

Outdated tactics used to mobilize their parents won’t cut it. Yet, outdated thinking and inadequate infrastructure leaves too many potential voters disconnected from the political process — leading to lower rates of participation and less power. 3/

We want to create a better understanding of this electorate and invest in innovative approaches to reach and engage them. 4/

To know and engage us, you have to better understand us. This is why as we prepare for 2020, Equis Labs partnered with Equis Research and Somos Votantes for a groundbreaking research project that is being released this week equisresearch.us 5/

When completed, it will be the largest and most comprehensive study of its kind ever conducted. It couldn’t come at a better time. Latinx voters are notoriously misunderstood and mischaracterized because of a rudimentary understanding of who they are. 6/

We are working to challenge the notion of Latinos being a monolith and better understand the nuances of who we are. This first wave of quantitative research, which surveyed 8,100 Latino voters in 11 states, will be followed by deeper qualitative research. 7/

It will help provide an impt baseline understanding of the diverse Latinx electorate as well as a deeper and longitudinal understanding of who they are. 8/

What they care abt, how to reach them, where similarities + differences exist across various subgroups (like gender, age, generation in this country, religion, and urban vs. rural) 9/

Beyond better research, if we’re going to build political power for millions of LatinX, we must find new ways to solve old problems. Since the 2016 election, the tech and data tools landscape has changed dramatically and we need to find ways to put that to work for us. 10/

It is no mystery where to find Latinos. Digital and tech adoption is sky-high among Latinos, creating an opportunity that has been so far under-developed. Nearly two-thirds of Hispanics use social media. About half are on Facebook. 11/

We massively over-index on WhatsApp. We are more likely to own a smartphone, a game console or a smartwatch than other groups, and more likely to stream video on a phone or tablet. We are focused on finding and experimenting with digital and tech forward approaches. 12/

It’s also time to seed the ideas of a new gen of Latinx ldshp. We have a deep bench and we need to invest in them to lead + thrive. We want to hear new ideas, and equip leaders with the research, data, tools, and feedback loop to meet the moment and real needs on the ground. 13/

Now Means Now. The name of our org, EquisLabs, represents the letter “x” in Spanish. It's meant to invoke Latinos as the X-factor in American politics + society, and as an embodiment of the complex intersection of identities that points to the future of the American populace. 14/

Even as Equis embraces complexity, we argue that the success of progressive policy depends on a demystification of our Latinx communities and increased avenues for engaging voters too often treated as invisible 15/

The Trump Pres has meant that Hispanics across the US have been under constant and vicious attack. Yet a real investment in mobilizing the LatinX electorate must think beyond the Trump presidency, building toward 2020 but with an eye to real power building for our community 16/

Given the growth trajectory of the Latinx community (we are only getting bigger — and fast), this must be an investment over several political cycles. That said, the urgency to invest is now. 17/

To build up the next generation of leaders, to equip them with the tools, technology, data, and networks to change the world, to empower them to embrace that they are as American as all of our fellow citizens. This is an investment we begin today. 18/