Statistics from election boards in nine states with large Haitian populations, as well as official numbers by the U.S. Census Bureau, do not reflect the visible political participation of Haitian-American communities across the country. The majority of local and statewide election boards only record voter statistics by race, not by ancestry or ethnicity.
Older Haitian-Americans struggle with several unique barriers when it comes to casting their ballots. Language translation is consistently viewed as the biggest obstacle hindering these senior citizens from fully participating. Other issues include information inundation, the layout of the ballot and, this year in particular, adjustments made to the voting process due to COVID-19.
Haitian-Americans’ position is clear: they will vote Democrat because Biden is better off dealing with political corruption and bad governance in Haiti, the country Trump called shithole. They will vote against the Republican establishment because Trump will cancel TPS while Biden promises he will renew or extend it for the thousands of Haitians who are no longer at risk of deportation because of it. If only Haitian-Americans are allowed to vote, Trump will lose by a tidal wave.