Ahead of Tuesday Primaries, Latinos in Georgia Report Inflation, Wages and Health Care Costs as Top Concerns

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ATLANTA, Ga. — As Georgians prepare to cast their ballots for the state’s primary elections on March 12th, UnidosUS – the nation’s largest Latino civil rights organization – is highlighting the concerns of the state’s Latino voters and their decisive influence in elections at the federal, state, and local levels.

Surveyed by UnidosUS as part of the largest national poll this election cycle on the views of Hispanic voters, Latino voters in Georgia emphasized several economic and pocketbook issues, with worries about the rising cost of living, wages, and access to affordable health care topping the list. Concerns about gun violence and immigration reforms rounded up the top five concerns.  

“In a state as highly competitive as Georgia, where the 2020 presidential election margin was less than 0.3 percentage points, candidates and political parties should be redoubling their efforts to reach and address the concerns of these voters,” said Clarissa Martinez De Castro, Vice President of the UnidosUS Latino Vote Initiative. “Hispanic registered voters in Georgia are some of the most engaged in the country, with more than 92% of them casting a ballot in 2020. And this year, due to the constant growth of this electorate, nearly one in four Latino voters in Georgia will be casting a presidential ballot for the very first time, further underscoring the importance of comprehensive and effective outreach to these voters.” 

In 2022, there were 234,000 registered Latino voters in Georgia. 

Full National and Georgia results for the poll are available in the UnidosUS Hispanic Electorate Data Hub, a newly released multidimensional platform that provides data and insights on this electorate spanning the last two decades. The following outlines key findings on Georgia’s Hispanic electorate. 

On The Issues:  

  • Economy: Three of the top five concerns for Georgia’s Hispanic voters are dominated by economic and pocketbook issues, specifically inflation and the rising cost of living, wages, and the cost of healthcare. 
  • Gun violence: The 4th top concern, with voters concerned about ease of access to guns and assault weapons.   
  • Immigration: The 5th highest-rated priority, in which a majority of Hispanic voters want policies that would provide a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients and other immigrants with long-standing ties in the United States. 
  • Abortion: 69% of Georgia’s Latino voters oppose efforts to ban abortion or to deprive other people of the right to make that decision for themselves, regardless of their own personal beliefs on the issue.  
  • Medicaid expansion: Over 76% of Georgia Hispanic voters favor expansion. 

On Voting: 

  • In 2024, 23% of Georgia’s Latinos will be voting in a presidential election for the first time.  
  • 41% of Georgia’s Hispanic electorate is composed of new voters since Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump faced off in 2016.