Note from the editor: This article was originally published on October 29, 2026 by Esteban Moncada and was translated to English by Gabriela Mata.
Latinos are the indecisive voters most important for the upcoming elections, and Hispanic young adults continue searching for ways to incorporate themselves politically past the polls. For that, there exists many ways that the young adults, especially students at UT, can explore ways to have their voices heard in the decisions affecting their communities.
The vote holds great importance, but it is not the only way to have political participation. Recognizing the absence of the voice of Hispanic youth, many organizations have created programs that offer opportunities for the students to introduce and familiarize themselves with politics. One of them is The Mexican American Legislative Caucus (MALC), the oldest and largest Latino legislative group in the United States.
Sergio Garcia-Rios, professor in the LBJ School of Public Affairs said that although Hispanics are an important part of the Texan population, there is a subrepresentation in politics.
A principal reason, according to Garcia-Rios, is the lack of political participation of past generations which makes the access to political opportunities harder, and implies that this present generation must form new paths.
“Someone has to,” said García-Ríos.
According to the professor, the Latino young adults have not received much attention from politicians because they suspect that they will not participate politically or that they don’t have distinct points of views.
Because of these obstacles, organizations such as MALC offer opportunities for university students so that they may be directly involved in the legislative process through internship programs.
Erin Gámez, vice president of MALC and state representative, proclaimed that the principal objectives of the organization are to promote laws that benefit Hispanic communities in education, health, economic development, infrastructure and voting rights.
Gámez emphasized the importance of the relationship between young people and political topics, since political movements influence the decisions of voters.
Representative Gámez said that MALC offered a program where university students are offered practice to learn how the state government functions. Gámez had her first internship experience in the Capitol when she was just a freshman student at UT Austin.
The representative motivates the youth to communicate directly with their deputies and to find ways in how they can be involved in politics professionally.
“Don’t wait,” said Gámez when giving advice to those who wanted to get involved but did not know where to begin.
Gámez did not forget to say that no political experience is needed. She recommended that students start by identifying the themes that they find most interesting, whether it be education, health, or environmental issues, and that they find an organization that works in that respective area.
“There is a group for you to do it with your representative in the legislature,” said Gámez.
For Garcia-Rios, involvement of Hispanic young adults in politics is not only finding opportunities that already exist, but also creating new spaces for future generations.
“It’s not about creating space; it’s about creating dialogue, ” said García-Ríos.
