Influx of new American citizens could play crucial role in presidential election

TAMPA - As people start to see political ads and texts heading into the election season, new Americans are among the votes candidates want, with millions of immigrants becoming naturalized citizens since the 2020 election.

At least 3.5 million immigrants became naturalized citizens since the 2020 presidential election, according to the U.S. Immigration Policy Center at the University of California San Diego, and Florida is one of the top states with new Americans.

U.S. data shows they are a diverse group, coming from many different countries, including Mexico, the Philippines and India. As campaigns ramp up, their worldviews could influence how they vote.

In Florida, the Florida Immigration Coalition said it makes sure new Americans know how to register and exercise their new right.

"For us, it's very important that the new American voters understand, one, what they are voting on. What will be on their ballot? What are different offices and positions? Are there any amendments? What are the implications of those amendments?" said Renata Bozzetto, deputy director of the Florida Immigration Coalition.

A January report by the American Immigration Council estimates over half a million immigrants in Florida are eligible to become naturalized citizens.

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"Naturalized citizens vote equally or more than native-born citizens once registered. However, they face great barriers to registration, including fear, lack of information, and language barriers. League of Women Voters chapters across Florida and the nation seek to aid newly naturalized citizens in overcoming barriers by tabling at naturalization ceremonies," said League of Women Voters of Florida Communications Manager Blake Summerlin in an email statement to FOX 13.

Political experts like Joshua Scacco said where new Americans come from influences them.

"From doing research from individuals in the Latino and Hispanic communities, for individuals who are newly naturalized and voting for the first time or just in general voting that their country of origin is very important to them in terms of the ways in which they will vote, the ways they will think about politics," said Joshua Scacco, Ph. D., director of the Center for Sustainable Democracy at the University of South Florida.

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Florida has one of the highest numbers of naturalizations, making the Sunshine State a powerful representation of people.

"Florida is absolutely a politically important state because in many ways it is largely representative of the United States," said Scacco.

Advocacy groups said voting outreach may vary depending on a new American’s background, but the issues and concerns are all the same.

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"Just like every other community in Florida, people are hurting. Their paychecks aren't catching up. Their wallets are hurting. They aren't able to afford insurance for their homes. There's an education crisis in our classrooms, a teacher shortage," said Abdelilah Skhir, senior strategist with the ACLU of Florida. "Anyone's circumstances can be completely different depending on what country they're coming from. So, it is important for candidates and parties to speak directly to voters in a way that they can understand and really resonates with them."

With all that in mind, new Americans will see campaigns ramp up this fall and have a decision to make.

"So, our message is an invitation, an invitation to register and to participate in our democracy, which is really a privilege, a right and a duty, right to participate and make sure that we are electing officials, that we're going to prioritize the issues that matter to us," said Bozzetto.

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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said about 10 percent of the new American citizens in 2023 came from Florida.

"During the last election cycle, League volunteer teams reported attending nearly 800 naturalization ceremonies and registering over 37,000 New Americans to participate in our democracy. The League believes it is really important to invite new voices in to ensure we have a representative democracy," said Summerlin.

Voter groups said they plan to remind Floridians to check in with their local elections offices to make sure they are registered to vote and to choose whether they want to use a mail-in ballot for this year.

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