This voting block of Latinas and Latinos became a vital component of Segovia’s political power and influence. As a precinct committeeman, Segovia gained the ability to hire his supporters to work polling places. Uniting residents behind particular candidates allowed Segovia to ensure that those loyal to him began to fill other offices, such as the precinct committee, and later councilman positions. With this voting position in city government, Segovia advocated for more supporters in positions of hiring, such as the Parks Department, granting him informal influence over even more patronage. This only grew as Segovia gained direct influence and the final say about hiring in the school district. From his office, Segovia could use his political power and extensive network to broker a job for any supporter, or potential supporter, who asked.
For a political machine, the precinct committeeman represented a vital gear. As the face of the party in their precinct, these individuals canvassed homes each election to ensure that the preferred candidate received votes. According to Aviña, “Usually the precinct committeemen are picked [by the Democratic Party], or who’s going to run for the precinct committee is determined by the man who has the councilmen position.” However, Segovia built up his own base before even being elected to the precinct committee. Through Dehon College, Segovia gained access to potential new voters and could frame himself as a leader in his community. In this position, Segovia reiterated the need for unity to ensure Latinos controlled their blocks and neighborhoods, giving them power that they could then leverage across the city.
By building this support backward, Segovia formed a voting bloc that ensured him more precinct committee positions each election—this meant that before there were ever any Latino councilmen, Segovia had created an effective sub-machine to guarantee their success. This sub-machine forced the main political machine to negotiate with the Latino community. Opponents of Segovia began to label him “the Machiavelli of the Mexican American people.”