The Power of the Latino Vote
The Latino vote has become a pivotal factor for many political candidates, including the presidency. Estimates from the U.S. Census and the rapid expansion of the population have created a tidal wave of activities aimed at attracting the Hispanic vote across the nation. Since 1990, 1.5 million Latinos have naturalized. There are 6.6 million registered Latino voters across the nation. In California, Texas, Florida, Illinois and New York, five key electoral states, Latinos have emerged as powerful allies for candidates seeking office.
Like any voting group, Latinos are not easily categorized and voting patterns neatly generalized. However, several major factors play out as key decision-making variables: one's point of origin, length of time in United States, and income levels. Although Latinos share a common history of Spanish colonialism and similar nation building, they differ in political processes and agendas. Despite having citizenship, Puerto Ricans can vote in a presidential election only if they live on the mainland and establish residency. Cuban-Americans are concentrated in South Florida and tend to be conservative. Mexican-American voting patterns are very issue-oriented, divided according to income levels and generation.
News & Alerts: Civic Participation
Nov 5, 2008
Latino voters turned out in record numbers this election and voted decisively for Barack Obama, helping him win in a landslide election in which the minority vote provided the decisive margin of victory.
Oct 31, 2008
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) announced today that it has a new Internet section on the homepage titled “Get Out The Vote” to help Hispanics get the latest information on the upcoming mid-term elections.
Oct 10, 2008
The League of United Latin American Citizens demands an immediate recall and denunciation of one of the most offensive political advertisements in this already divisive election season. The advertisement, paid for by the Republican State Leadership Committee of Virginia, uses a Spanish-speaking Chihuahua to dehumanize Ohio’s Latino community and warns English-speaking voters that they may have to learn Spanish if Democrat Connie Pillich beats Republican Virgil Lovitt in the race for Ohio’s 28th district.
Oct 3, 2008
Telemundo, a leading producer of innovative and high-quality content for Hispanics worldwide, and mun2, the preeminent voice for Latino youth, announced today the launch of “Vota Por Tu Futuro” -- “Vote 4 UR Future,” the networks’ national non-partisan Hispanic voter registration campaign.
Dec 13, 2006
Ciro Rodriguez Defeats Seven-Term Congressman, Henry Bonilla in District 23 Runoff. The League of United Latin American Citizens hailed the election of Ciro Rodriguez over seven-term incumbent Henry Bonilla in the District 23 special runoff election as proof that the Voting Rights Act is still an effective tool in ensuring that minority communities can elect the candidate of their choice.
Nov 29, 2006
Zogby Interactive
A Latino voting rights group might ask the U.S. Supreme Court to throw out Texas' new congressional map, based on how many Latinos were removed from Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett's Austin-area district.
Nov 28, 2006
Zogby Interactive
A Latino voting rights group might ask the U.S. Supreme Court to throw out Texas' new congressional map, based on how many Latinos were removed from Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett's Austin-area district.
Nov 8, 2006
Yesterday's elections confirmed growing Hispanic political power in the United States with increased representation in Congress.
Oct 18, 2006
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) in conjunction with 21 other Latino and Asian American organizations submitted a letter Tuesday (see below) requesting that the U.S. Attorney General conduct a federal investigation into the most recent scare tactics being used to intimidate voters in Orange County, California.
Aug 16, 2006
America Votes announced today the addition of two national organizations to their historic coalition of progressive groups. The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and Campaign for America’s Future (CAF) have joined America Votes' 32-member strong coalition.
