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In an effort to attract younger Hispanic voters, campaigns
are turning to Spanglish
¹ Mayra Alejandra Rodriguez is used to seamlessly toggling
between Spanish and English in conversation. If she doesn’t
know the Spanish version of a word, she’ll use the English,
and vice versa. The mishmash, known as Spanglish, comes
naturally. Those around her understand her, at least most of
the time.
² The Silver Spring, Md., resident is the kind of young
Hispanic voter attracting increasing attention from political
operatives who advocate that campaigns use the blended
language in advertising and other outreach as the 2024
election cycle accelerates.
³ The language — a portmanteau of English and Spanish that
blends words, grammar and dialects from both tongues — is
growing in popularity in the United States as the country’s
Hispanic population grows. Currently, 19 percent of the U.S.
population identifies as Hispanic, a new high according to the
Pew Research Center, which also found that 63 percent of
Hispanics in the United States speak Spanglish at least
sometimes in their day-to-day life. Forty percent say they
speak it often.
4 Operatives who are urging campaigns to reach young
voters in Spanglish argue that its use not only reflects the
nation’s changing demographics, but is also a way to meet
voters with a lingo that feels more familiar and approachable.
Source: Adapted from “In an effort to attract younger
Hispanic voters, campaigns are turning to Spanglish”, by
Mariana Alfaro, 2023. Available on:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/10/03/spa
nglish-campaigns-young-hispanic-voters/