Editorial note: KAWC is identifying Raquel and her mother, Amelia, by pseudonyms because they fear being publicly identified while discussing immigration, voting and the current political climate. Their identities are known to KAWC. Quotes have been translated from Spanish.
During election season in Yuma, thousands of voices are heard at the ballot box. But before they even reach the voting booth, a segment of the Latino community faces an invisible barrier — fear.
Even for those who hold the legal right to vote, news surrounding immigration and law changes over recent years has left individuals apprehensive about the security of their legal status.
As Arizona’s primary election draws near, the reality of this fear is clear in the life of Raquel, a 53-year-old Yuma resident who has lived in the U.S. for more than two decades. At her request, KAWC is identifying her by a pseudonym because she fears being publicly identified while discussing her immigration history and voting.
Raquel’s documents are all in order, meaning her status is legal. But despite this, the constant fear of hurting her legal status has kept her from voting each election.
“Honestly, it was so much work, such a struggle to get my papers,” she said. “For many years, fear paralyzed me. I didn’t vote because I was afraid.”
This year, Raquel is voting for the very first time.
“My children have told me now that I should inform myself. I think this year I am going to muster the courage — for myself, for my children and, who knows, maybe for my grandchildren someday,” she said. “I know my vote won’t make some huge difference, but it will make a difference to me. Also because I believe that we Latinos share a common strength, and that we can raise our voice by voting, which is the best way to do it.”
The push to overcome her long fear did not come from political campaigns, she explained. Instead, it came from long-distance phone calls across the border.
Her mother, an elderly woman living in Mexico, views her daughter’s decision as an important way to stand tall. KAWC is also protecting her identity and is referring to her by the pseudonym Amelia.
"My daughter has been over there in the United States for several years now, and I would really like her to vote for the first time so they know that she is there and that she has value there," Amelia said.
This is why Amelia has spent many phone calls convincing her to vote. Although Raquel wasn’t born in the U.S., Amelia believes that by voting, her daughter is taking the recognition she deserves.
“I am Mexican. I struggled a lot for myself and for my children so they could get ahead, but it makes me happy that my daughter was able to get her papers in order because she also struggled to be there,” Amelia said. “And especially because we Latinos have value wherever we are, regardless of our language and customs.”
With her mother’s support, Raquel now views voting not just as a legal right, but as a major responsibility to her own history — and her community.
"After twenty years of living here, I have seen so many things. The Latino community has gone through so much, we believed for many years that we had no voice and no vote," Raquel said. "But I think the time has come to start exercising the power we have, and one of those powers is voting. That, in the long run, will bear good fruit, I think.”
In Yuma, where the border defines geography, a vote is more than a paper ballot for individuals like Raquel. In her view, it is an act of presence and dignity.
