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The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

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Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Uncertainty Surrounds NY Latino Voter Turnout for Midterms

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Tuesday, September 27, 2022   

As the midterm elections approach, there are concerns about whether Latino voters will turn out as much as they have in past elections.

In New York, 12% of voters in the 2020 General Election were Latino, up from 10% in 2018, according to a poll by Univision, including a lot of new and young voters.

Ameer Patel, vice president of programs for the group Voto Latino, pointed out with such divisive issues as abortion access, gun restrictions, the economy and democracy's integrity on the ballot this November, he hopes the stage is set for an even bigger turnout.

"We saw a surge of young Latinos vote for the first time in 2020 as well as 2018," Patel recounted. "One of our core emphases here, this cycle, is making sure the surge of voters that came out in 2018 and 2020 become repeat voters, and they vote again this election cycle."

Patel noted low voter turnout is often the result of a lack of information about the policies and proposals on the ballot. According to a Voto Latino poll, only 21% of those surveyed had heard of President Joe Biden's infrastructure bill. He added Voto Latino has been focused on getting more people registered to vote and explaining how every vote matters.

As plenty of states have changed their voting regulations, one challenge is making sure people know how voting is done in their state. Patel explained another hurdle in the upcoming election has been what he calls "voter depression."

"You have these negative actors talking about how voting doesn't matter, how neither politician or neither party really, truly cares about you," Patel acknowledged. "On a much more grand or common level, you have people that are running for office right now, talking about how the past election was stolen."

He added the persistent lies about the 2020 election have convinced some people elections are rigged, or the voting process no longer embodies the spirit of democracy. Patel stressed his group and others are working to counter these views and encouraging people to cast their ballots.


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The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

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