Thread: Sun-Times: Additional 800,000 Hispanics went to the polls

Only 13% of Hispanic population voted in '06

'Just give it 10 years, it'll catch up,' says voter

July 25, 2007
BY ESTHER J. CEPEDA Staff

Reporter/ecepeda@suntimes.com

After hundreds of thousands of Hispanics across the United States marched for immigration law reform on May 1, 2006, the rallying cry in the Hispanic community quickly became "Today we march, tomorrow we vote."

Indeed, an additional 800,000 Hispanics went to the polls during November's 2006 midterm elections compared to four years earlier, according to a study released Tuesday by the Pew Hispanic Center. But Latinos represented nearly half the total population growth in the United States between 2002 and 2006, the study said.

The 5.6 million votes cast in 2006 midterms by Hispanics represented only 13 percent of the total Hispanic population compared to the 27 percent of all blacks who cast votes and 39 percent of all whites who voted -- a disappointing turnout attributed to a population too young to vote or ineligible because of citizenship status.


BY THE NUMBERS

• Whites accounted for 24% of the U.S. population growth between 2002 and 2006 and 47% of all eligible new voters.

• Latinos gained 1% more registered voters and voted 2% more in 2006 than in 2002.

• Whites gained 2% more registered voters and voted 1% more in 2006 than in 2002.

• Black-registered voters declined by 2% and voted 1% less in 2006 than in 2002.

In 2006:

• 13% of all Latinos voted, a 1% increase

• 39% of all whites voted, a 2% increase[/b]

• 27% of all blacks voted, no change

• More than 400,000 legal permanent residents are eligible for U.S. citizenship -- and the right to vote -- in Illinois.

• There are 55,000 registered Hispanic voters in Chicago -- about 13% of all registered to vote.

Source: The Pew Hispanic Center, U.S. Census Data November 2006, U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
"Just give it 10 years, it'll catch up," said Jose Torrez, 21, a Little Village resident who voted in November.
According to the study, almost three-quarters of Hispanics eligible to vote were U.S.-born and 89 percent do not live in households where Spanish is the exclusive language, pointing to even more growth, especially as U.S.-born children of Hispanic immigrants turn 18.

Michael Rodriguez, director of field operations for the U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute, said, "A lot of our voters are young, and that's increasing by leaps and bounds -- those gaps are closing."


BY THE NUMBERS
• Whites accounted for 24% of the U.S. population growth between 2002 and 2006 and 47% of all eligible new voters.
• Latinos gained 1% more registered voters and voted 2% more in 2006 than in 2002.

• Whites gained 2% more registered voters and voted 1% more in 2006 than in 2002.

• Black-registered voters declined by 2% and voted 1% less in 2006 than in 2002.

In 2006:

• 13% of all Latinos voted, a 1% increase

• 39% of all whites voted, a 2% increase

• 27% of all blacks voted, no change

• More than 400,000 legal permanent residents are eligible for U.S. citizenship -- and the right to vote -- in Illinois.

• There are 55,000 registered Hispanic voters in Chicago -- about 13% of all registered to vote.

Source: The Pew Hispanic Center, U.S. Census Data November 2006, U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/elections/ ... 25.article

Do the critters in Washington actually think these people are gong to vote for them? They are going to run and vote for Hispanic candidates.

Maybe the Washington crowd are getting paid enough, they can fly off to their islands and leave us in the muck and mire.

GWB, Jon Kyl, Lindsey Graham et al, ignore your base at your own peril.