Carmen Emilia Hernandez de Jimenez registered to vote on the same day her naturalization ceremony was held./Stephanie Whitfield/KHOU

It’s never too late to vote. Carmen Emilia Hernandez de Jimenez knows. The Colombian native who lives in Katy, Texas, became a U.S. citizen just weeks before her 103rd birthday. This matriarch of five generations was so eager to have her voice count, that she registered to vote on the same day of her naturalization ceremony! 

Latinxs still vote in lower numbers compared to their non-Latinx counterparts, but as our population keeps growing, it’s more important than ever for us to register to vote so we can put the right people into office. If you haven’t registered yet, September 24 is National Voter Registration Day, which hopes to get more citizens to participate fully in our Democracy.   

Carmen Emilia Hernandez de Jimenez registered to vote on the same day her naturalization ceremony was held./Stephanie Whitfield/KHOU

Carmen raised her children to believe in the power of their vote to create positive change. She conveyed a strong sense of civic duty, something we all should pass on to our children so that voting becomes second nature for our community. 

The Latino vote is more critical than ever and will be influential during the 2020 election./latinheat.com

The good news is that younger Latinxs are making changes. They voted in record-breaking numbers during the 2018 midterm elections, with 27% of Latinxs overall voting for the first time. During the 2020 election, one third of eligible voters will be people of color and 1 in 10 will be naturalized citizens. 

There’s no question, Latinxs will help determine the election outcome in November 2020.

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