Women of color in Arizona and beyond could influence the 2024 election

PHOENIX — As the 2024 presidential election approaches, women of color are emerging as one of the most influential voting blocs in the United States. Their growing political power is changing political debates and driving grassroots activism across the country.

Arizona, a battleground state, has experienced significant changes in the racial and ethnic makeup of its electorate. According to the Center for American Women and Politics, Black women became the second largest group in U.S. voter turnout in 2022, behind white voters and ahead of Asian American/Pacific Islander and Latino voters. In the last elections, the number of women exceeded the number of men. Black voters are playing a crucial role in several key battleground states this year.

From reproductive justice to immigration reform, women of color are at the forefront of movements pushing for systemic change, challenging voter suppression and reimagining leadership at all levels of government.

Janelle Wong, director of Asian American studies at the University of Maryland, said women of color have become powerful political forces precisely because of their unique challenges. Wong participated in the panel discussion “Women of Color in the 2024 Election: Preferences and Power,” hosted by the Latina Futures 2050 Lab, a research and community initiative.

Wong’s research on Asian American political participation shows that this community, long neglected in electoral strategies, is mobilizing in unprecedented numbers. With women driving much of this advocacy, Asian American voters are turning their attention to health care, housing and education that impact immigrant communities.

“Where Asian Americans really differ from other voters is health care… they’re much more open to universal health care, they’re gun control voters, they’re environmental voters,” Wong said. “I think there’s this misconception based on stereotypes that the way to win Asian American voters is through education, but that’s just not the case. Asian American women and men are reproductive justice voters, these are things we don’t hear very often on the campaign trail.”

Latino voters also play an important role in shaping the 2024 election. According to the Pew Research Center, over 36 million Latinos are eligible to vote in November, representing 15% of eligible voters.

G. Cristina Mora, director of the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, said during the panel discussion that Latinas have become an important demographic in battleground states like Arizona and Texas. Mora’s research shows that Latinas, particularly younger voters, support policies around immigration reform, labor rights and reproductive justice.

“Voter turnout affects all communities of color. “There is no group that votes the same way as white people,” Mora said. “If we see women in these communities as ambassadors, it’s going to be really important in how we solve the problem of sort of eliminating the turnout gap and getting all of these communities to reach their full potential.”

One of the key issues mobilizing women of color in the 2024 elections is reproductive justice. After the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022, reproductive rights became a rallying point for many women, particularly in communities of color where access to health care has historically been limited.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2019 showed that Black women had the highest abortion rate in the U.S. at 23.8 per 1,000 women. Hispanic women had 11.7 abortions per 1,000 women, and white women had the lowest rate: 6.6 abortions per 1,000 women.

Jennifer Jones, an associate professor at the University of Illinois Chicago, explained during the panel that reproductive justice for women of color is more than just a matter of legal access to abortion – it is about access to affordable health care, child care and economic security.

She also reported on the challenges that lie ahead. “There is a lot of fear about demographic change, and so the future will likely depend on whether there is a continued, sustained effort at the local level, at the state level, at the organizational level, or at the federal level due to border oppression.” Efforts, gerrymandering, these things will continue,” Jones said.

Although women of color are mobilizing to vote and advocate for change, they continue to face significant structural barriers to political participation. Voter suppression tactics, such as restrictive voter ID laws and purges of voter rolls, disproportionately impact communities of color.

Jones added that Latino and Black communities are increasing their cooperation in the fight against voter suppression, particularly in southern states like North Carolina.

“A lot of these coalitions are based on some kind of shared understanding that they have experienced exploitation and discrimination, and that part of it is about a shared struggle,” Jones said.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black and Asian American woman to hold the office, has been a central figure in movements particularly important for women of color. As a graduate of a historically black university, her identity and background have resonated with communities of color.

Both Harris and former President Donald Trump are actively targeting communities of color for votes. Harris and her vice president, Gov. Tim Walz, kicked off their homecoming tour of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Meanwhile, Trump has worked to engage communities of color through initiatives that include Latinos for Trump and Black Americans for Trump.

Both make concerted efforts to support communities of color through policies such as economic and social issues, job creation, economic empowerment and educational opportunities.
“No matter who wins this election, it will be close. “We see that the fighters are actually women of color, both on the front lines and behind the scenes,” Wong said.