How Important Are Hispanic Voters in the 2024 Election? Join Us for a Town Hall Discussion
BY ALYSSA JOHNSON UPDATED MARCH 08, 2024 4:41 PM
BY ALYSSA JOHNSON
UPDATED MARCH 08, 2024 4:41 PM
With the 2024 presidential election looming, Hispanic voters continue to be among the most courted –
and least understood – voting blocs for candidates up and down the ballot, with their importance
increasing along with their numbers.
Florida’s 2.4 million Hispanic voters, more than a third of whom live in Miami-Dade County, offer lessons
for the entire country.
On March 14, the Miami Herald and its partners are inviting the community to a discussion among
experts from different backgrounds about what we know, what we think we know and what remains to
be seen about this increasingly important and diverse demographic ahead of November.
Here’s a rundown of what to expect, and how you can attend Voters Decide: The Hispanic Vote 2024.
WHAT’S HAPPENING?
Speakers from across the political spectrum will gather at 8 p.m. on March 14 at the Florida
International University Modesto Maidique campus inside the Graham Center, 10955 SW 15th Ter., to
discuss the importance of the 2024 Hispanic vote in Florida and nationwide.
The discussion aims to uncover what political campaigns are doing to get the attention of Hispanic
voters, what Hispanic voters want from their elected officials and how the Latino segment of the
electorate in Florida is changing.
The town-hall-style event, organized by the Miami Herald, El Nuevo Herald, CBS News Miami, Univision
Miami, South Florida public radio station WLRN, FIU and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, will be
free and open to the public.
WHO WILL BE SPEAKING?
CBS News Miami anchor Elliott Rodriguez will moderate the discussion with a panel of five political
experts:
* Eduardo Gamarra, a professor of political science at Florida International University who has
done extensive polling of Hispanic voters in the U.S.
* Fernand Amandi, the managing partner of Miami-based public opinion research and strategic
communications consulting firm Bendixen & Amandi.
* Ninoska Pérez Castellón, a longtime voice of Cuban exiles in Miami. She’s the host of Ninoska en
La Poderosa on 670 AM.
* José Parra, a partner with global strategic communications advisory firm FGS Global. He’s also
the former CEO at Prospero Latino and former senior advisor to former Democratic Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid.
* Irina Vilariño, a former U.S. congressional candidate who was an early and staunch supporter of
former President Donald Trump. She built a successful career working to expand her family’s
restaurant business, Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine, which includes 15 locations in South Florida and
more than 400 employees.
I CAN’T ATTEND IN PERSON. HOW ELSE CAN I WATCH IT?
It will be broadcast on CBS 4’s sister station WBFS-TV 33 and simulcast online at WLRN.org and
MiamiHerald.com, and on CBS News Miami on Pluto TV, and the CBS News App. The event will be
extended online for an additional 30 minutes.