Hispanic Voting Access for 2020 General Election
Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, dozens of in-person polling locations for the 2020 General Election were closed in Denver County, leaving only 34 in-person polling sites open on Election Day. The state of Colorado boasts one of the most developed mail-in voting infrastructures anywhere in the country, yet due to the cutbacks, people were inevitably left without adequate access to polling sites. Historically, Hispanic communities as well as other minority communities have disproportionately faced difficulties in casting their vote due to voting restrictions and other barriers to access. Using in-person polling data from the Denver Election Division as well as 2010 Census Tract Data and the Denver County Open Data Catalog, I explored whether there were any specific predominantly Hispanic and low-income neighborhoods in Denver County that were overlooked and lacked adequate in-person voting access. Using the same qualifications for identifying food deserts in urban areas, I found two gaping holes in Denver’s network of in-person voting centers that left two regions of predominantly Hispanic communities underserved. This demonstrates the continued attention that needs to be placed on voting accessibility, and the role that Denver Election Division must play in addressing the barriers that are faced by underprivileged communities in providing adequate voting access for all people.