- The Martinez family came to vote at Ripley House but had to leave and go to another location. They were set on voting. Natividad and Lourdes Martinez are originally from Honduras and became U.S. citizens. Their daughter Mercy, 18, is first generation. It's her first time voting and the family says they are voting against Trump's strong stance on deportation, saying everyone deserves respect and to be treated fairly. (Photo Credit: Laura Isensee)
- A man sells ice cream with his mobile cart at the Ripley House Community Center in the East End. (Photo Credit: Laura Isensee)
- (Photo Credit: Laura Isensee)
At Ripley House Community Center, on the East End, there are middle school students selling lemonade, there’s a man selling ice cream from his mobile cart, and there’s a lot of enthusiasm from voters.
It reflects that Latino voters’ surge seen in Harris County, other parts of Texas, and battleground states.
Several voters here are voting for the first time: Hispanic voters who believe strongly that they need to cast their ballot and speak their voice at the ballot box.
One is María Ruiz . She recently became a citizen and she voted for Hillary Clinton. Even though she didn’t agree with everything Clinton supports, she says she has the most experience and she doesn’t believe the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, has any morals or respect for other people.
Clinton “has her good and bad points”, Ruiz said. But Trump “doesn’t have any morals, doesn’t have any respect.”
Another family, the Martínez family, were here voting as a family. Natividad and Lourdes Martínez are originally from Honduras and became US citizens several years ago and they were voting with their daughter Mercy, who is 18 years old and it’s her first time voting.
And they echoed the sentiment that the country is in this place of darkness and that they need to speak their voice and show a stance against Trump. They were specially motivated to vote against his policy on deporting immigrants who are in the country illegally. They said that everyone deserves to be treated fairly.
“We are supposed to be equal. You can’t deport people,” said Natividad Martinez. “It’s not fair to treat people differently.”