Latino and Asian voters mostly sat out 2010 election, report says

[alp227]

Source: The Washington Post

A record 14.7 million Latino voters sat out the 2010 midterm elections, according to a new report by the Pew Hispanic Center that shows the nation’s fastest growing minorities are largely failing to exercise their right to vote.

Along with Asian voters, who appear similarly disengaged, the absence of so many Latino voters at the polls means the political influence of these minority groups will lag behind their demographic strength by years, if not decades.

About 31 percent of eligible Latino and Asian voters cast ballots in the 2010 congressional elections, compared with 49 percent of eligible white voters and 44 percent of eligible blacks, according to the Pew report. Asians comprise a much smaller portion of the electorate than Latinos, though both groups are exploding in size.

While the number of Latino voters increased from 5.6 million in the 2006 election to 6.6 million in 2010, the number of Latinos eligible to vote grew much faster, from 17.3 million to 21.3 million, said Mark Lopez, associate director of the Pew Center and author of the new report. As a result, the gap between potential and actual Latino voters was 3.1 million larger in 2010.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/latino_and_asian_voters_mostly_sat_out_2010_election_report_says/2011/04/26/AFr6X6qE_story.html

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I'm an Asian American who's voted at every election, and this news is astonishing and could explain the 2010 Republican wave.

[libmom74]

1. I wonder if it was because

they felt threatened by all of the anti-immigrant sentiment of the Tea-Party?

[Kolesar]

2. Shankar Vedantam wrote that article without mentioning immigration reform law once...

...in the article. I would think that immigration reform legislation would affect Obama's "popularity" with Mexican Americans.

[Tarheel_Dem]

4. It was the Tea-Klan rallies that affected the mid-terms. Latinos were fearful

at the level of hate directed at them. This has very little to do with Pres. Obama. Midterms are historically bad for the party in power.

[EFerrari]

7. Not only Mexican Americans but also families from Central America.

This article is typical WaHo spin. Latinos saved a bunch of elections for Democrats.

[EC]

3. Maybe like so many Americans

they thought the mid-terms were no big deal. That it's all local elections and doesn't affect them. Maybe they learned something?

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. And I'm afraid the Dems are going to keep missing the boat on the Hispanic /Latino vote

until you stop treating them like they're a monoculture.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x962964

[EFerrari]

6. Latino Voters Save the West for Democrats

Wednesday, November 3 2010, 4:30 PM EST

While last night’s election was dismal for the Democratic Party across the country, things looked quite different in California, Colorado and Nevada, where Democrats won key races that many expected them to lose. Political analysts have long been hailing the growing power of the Latino vote, but the numbers from these western races seem to make it clear now: Latinos brought it home for the Democrats and saved what would have otherwise been much closer races for both Jerry Brown and Harry Reid.

That’s a fact that Latino advocacy groups are more than ready to boast about today.

“From the exit polls and turnout data we do think that that Latinos were crucial to victories in both of those states,” said Rosaline Gold at the National Association of Latino Elected Officials, referring to Nevada and California.

Gary Segura, who runs the polling group Latino Decisions, put it more bluntly: “The GOP wave stops in California.”

In California, Democrat Jerry Brown beat Republican Meg Whitman for the gubernatorial seat by 53.8 percent to 41.2 percent. Reid held off Sharron Angle in Nevada’s senate race by a tighter 50.2 to 44.9 margin. According to a Latino Decisions poll—paid for by the National Council of La Raza, SEIU, and America’s Voice—Latinos backed Brown by a margin of 86 percent to 13 percent, giving him a 13.5 point boost. In Nevada, Latinos voted for Reid over Angle by a nine to one margin.

http://colorlines.com/archives/2010/11/latinos_save_the_west_for_democrats.html

Latino Firewall Helped Save Senate for Democrats

New America Media, News Report, Elena Shore, Posted: Nov 04, 2010
Latino voters may have saved the Senate for the Democrats, even as Latino candidates gained a record number of congressional seats on the Republican ticket.

Political observers say these seemingly contradictory outcomes make one thing clear: Latinos – as candidates and as voters – played a decisive role in Tuesday’s election.

Ironically, the party that was accused of using anti-immigrant rhetoric gained victories for Latino candidates. Republican Susana Martinez was elected New Mexico’s first Latina governor and Brian Sandoval became Nevada’s first Latino governor. Latino Republicans won five new House seats, and one new Senate seat, giving Latino Republicans a record total of eight seats in both houses of Congress.

Latino voters also made the difference in Western states like California, Colorado and Nevada, where they warded off Republicans in key races, demonstrating Latinos’ “rejection of anti-immigrant campaigns,” according to Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO).

http://newamericamedia.org/2010/11/latino-firewall-helped-save-senate-for-democrats.php