Roughly 10 million Hispanics identify as evangelical or Protestant, and one pastor contends there has been what he calls "an awakening" regarding the influence and political power of Hispanic evangelicals - in battlegrounds such as Nevada and around the country.

Rev. Gabriel Salguero is president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, and argued despite that awakening, there is still a "misunderstanding" of how diverse the Hispanic evangelical community actually is.

"Politicians don't know how to speak to us," said Salguero. "They say 'Oh, well, they're evangelical, they must be Republican,' or 'Oh, they're Latino, they must be Democrat.' Well, we are Latino-evangelicals, and so like me, I'm a registered independent. Many of us are registered independents because we are not one-issue voters."

Salguero said politicians need to take that "complexity" seriously. A new study reveals Latino evangelicals' political and social views are heavily influenced by their faith.

The study found the economy and immigration policies were some of the most uniting issues for the demographic, and highlighted the important role local churches play in getting community members politically informed and engaged.

Salguero said candidates' values are also one of the most important and relevant considerations, when Hispanic evangelicals are deciding who to vote for.

Just this past weekend, at a Trump rally in New York City, what some are calling racist comments were said targeting ethnic and racial groups - including Puerto Ricans like Salguero.

He demanded a public apology.

"The truth is that xenophobic and racialized rhetoric should not have any space in political campaigns of any candidate," said Salguero. "And so we are deeply offended by it as a coalition. I personally, as Puerto Rican, feel deeply offended."

With less than a week until Election Day, Salguero said he has a simple message to voters.

"We need to be an informed electorate, and dig deeper into people's platforms and people's agendas and what that means for our community," said Salguero. "Be informed. Tu voz es tu voto - your vote is your voice. You must engage, because when you don't engage, then you get taken for granted or get ignored."




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Prison policy advocates are urging West Virginia lawmakers to put an end to "prison gerrymandering," which they said distorts political representation in districts with correctional facilities.

The problem stems from a Census Bureau practice of counting people in prison as part of the district where they are incarcerated rather than in their home district.

Mike Wessler, communications director for the Prison Policy Initiative, said state officials need to take action to change the policy before the 2030 Census.

"It gives communities that have prisons a much louder voice in government," Wessler explained. "It's taking a little bit of political power from just about everyone and giving it to a handful of communities that are benefiting overwhelmingly."

Wessler pointed out some areas, such as District 83 in Preston County, count as much as 18% of their population from correctional facilities, leading to unequal political power. He noted other states have successfully passed legislation to resolve the problem.

Wessler stressed the problem also affects local governments when they draw county or city voting districts based on the skewed Census results. He added in Charleston, certain wards have inflated populations due to the presence of nearby correctional facilities.

"Changing how incarcerated people are counted wouldn't actually change anything else in state policy," Wessler emphasized. "If West Virginia ended prison gerrymandering, it would make sure that people have an equal say in government regardless of their proximity to a prison."

He underscored the practice disproportionately affects Black residents, who are incarcerated at higher rates, resulting in their voices being silenced in their home legislative districts.


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A new lawsuit is challenging Maryland's closed primary system. If the lawsuit is successful, nearly a million Marylanders may be able to vote in upcoming primaries.

Unaffiliated voters signed up as neither a Republican nor Democrat when they registered to vote, but in Maryland, that means they can't vote in primary elections.

Jeremy Gruber, senior vice president of the Open Primaries Education Fund and a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said states must expand primary election access to independents because the vast majority of general elections aren't competitive.

"This lawsuit is meant to address a situation where publicly funded and administered elections - which primaries are - are shutting out American citizens," he said. "We cannot continue to call ourselves a democracy when we allow that to continue to happen."

Supporters of closed primaries argue the system makes sure only dedicated members of a political party vote for a nominee, and they also prevent efforts from an opposing party trying to influence another party's nomination process. Maryland is one of 15 states with closed primaries.

In recent years, Colorado, Alaska and New Mexico have all changed their primary process. Gruber argued that if the government is going to run primary elections, then it must ensure all people are allowed to participate. He said closed primary systems are a voting-rights issue.

"Maryland is well behind the rest of the country in recognizing and empowering independent voters," he said. "This is a voting-rights issue that has to be addressed in Maryland. When a million voters can't vote, that is a crisis."

In 2024, 17.6 million voters were barred from voting in primaries because of their unaffiliated or independent status on voter rolls. According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, average voter turnout was nearly 20% higher in open primary states compared with closed primary states.


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The weekend assassination of Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman is seen by many as a setback in recruiting future civic leaders who seek out bipartisanship.

One organization doing this work said it is still possible. Hortman was often credited for a being a fierce advocate for causes aligned with her supporters but also for striking compromises serving as House Speaker in the State Legislature.

Jake Loesch, executive director of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Citizens League, said training people how to work with elected officials from the "other side" is a key part of their programming. He acknowledged it might be hard for the public to see but there are moments where good faith bargaining wins the day.

"There are always good, bipartisan things that come out of any legislative session here in Minnesota," Loesch pointed out. "I think unfortunately, that doesn't always attract the news headlines."

Loesch's organization has a new program prompting state lawmakers to visit legislators from another party in their home community. He explained it makes it easier for them to see each other as humans, not the enemy. Loesch admitted the political system is still built around a "winner take all" approach, which often rewards partisan fights.

Loesch added if lawmakers can learn more about each other's backgrounds, a better understanding could hopefully rub off on voters and diminish the thirst for hateful rhetoric. He cautioned progress will not happen right away.

"We didn't get here overnight and it's going to take a long time to find a better level of collaboration and political understanding, and to stop attacking the other," Loesch emphasized. "There are lots of forces working against that."

He cited the overlap with social media as one such force. Meanwhile, political researchers noted besides Minnesota and a handful of other states, most legislatures in the U.S. have one-party control -- some since the mid-1990s -- making it difficult for lawmakers to gain compromise skills.


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