Heated Immigration Debate Lighting a Fire Under Latino Voters
Washington, DC – A new summary of recent Latino voter polls highlights the way the immigration debate is influencing Latino political engagement in the run-up to the November mid-terms.  The lack of action on comprehensive immigration could dampen enthusiasm among Latino voters at a crucial time.  According to an article in today’s POLITICO: “The swing in opinion couldn’t come at a worse time for Democrats, who need a strong Latino turnout in November if they hope to maintain control of Congress. That voting bloc could be decisive in dozens of competitive House, Senate and gubernatorial races across the West, according to a report by America’s Voice, an immigration reform advocacy group.”
However, the three recent polls also make clear that national attention to Arizona’s anti-immigrant law and the negative rhetoric espoused mainly by Republicans—like the latest flap over repealing the 14th Amendment—could, in fact, energize Latinos to turn out this year and punish Republicans.  
According to Lynn Tramonte, Deputy Director of America’s Voice, “Clearly, the current immigration debate—including the national attention to Arizona’s anti-immigrant law—is having a major impact on the way Latino voters view the two political parties and the importance of voting in November.  While the lack of action on comprehensive immigration reform could depress turnout and harm Democrats who are most ‘on the hook’ for delivering that core priority, the anxiety over Arizona’s anti-immigration law and heated rhetoric from the GOP is having a mobilizing effect on Latino voters that could hurt Republicans in November and beyond.  While the story of the 2010 mid-term elections remains to be written, it is clear that Latino voters and the immigration issue in general will be a key chapter.”
The polling summary highlights the results of three recent surveys conducted by LatinoMetrics for the Hispanic Federation and League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC); Dr. Ricardo Ramirez of the University of Southern California for the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Education Fund (NALEO); and the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago for Associated Press-Univision. ∆
(Article provided by America’s Voice)