Hispanic vote gaining importance at local, national levels

At the local, state and national levels the Hispanic vote is gaining in importance as the 2008 presidential election approaches, local advocates say.

The Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials recently released a report that states the Latino electorate in Georgia is growing at "astounding rates."

"Based on the growth demonstrated, the Latino electorate can now begin to make significant impact on certain local elections," while also having the potential to influence competitive statewide races, Jerry Gonzalez, executive director of the association, said.

As of November, the total number of registered voters in Georgia was almost 4.5 million, of which about 98,000 are estimated to be Hispanic.

In Whitfield County, the number of Hispanic registered voters increased 173 percent from 2003 to 2007, according to the association.

Neither Tennessee nor Hamilton County keep records of registered voters by race, according to county officials.

Wade Munday, spokesman for the Tennessee Democratic Party, said that in time "Tennessee is going to see a pretty significant increase in Hispanic voters and a decrease in traditional white male voters.

"While it won't occur any time in the immediate future, I think that (Hispanic) population is very important and their interests are at the front of pretty heavy issues," Mr. Munday said.

Although the current number of Hispanic voters nationwide is comparatively small, Mr. Gonzalez said it is important for policymakers and future candidates to understand the trends of the new electorate.

America Gruner, president of the Coalition of Latin Leaders, said that during the past mayoral election in Dalton, Ga., about 25 percent of the voter population went to the polls.

"There are about 900 Hispanics registered to vote in Dalton, which means any Hispanic vote can make a difference," Ms. Gruner said in Spanish.

David Pennington, runoff contender in Dalton's Dec. 4 mayoral elections, said fewer than 50 Hispanics cast votes in the Nov. 6 election.

He said people who vote usually are more involved in the community, which is one reason that it is important to get Hispanics to vote.

"Once they start voting, hopefully they'll start taking a leadership role and feel more attached to the community they're living in," Mr. Pennington said.

Chip Sellers, the other Dalton mayoral runoff contender, said the City Council and mayor also "need to more actively engage Latinos in the boards and commissions" they appoint and help spur interest in politics in the Hispanic community.

Organizations at the local, state and national levels have conducted campaigns to encourage and educate Hispanics about the importance of voting. The Coalition of Latin Leaders hosted information sessions to encourage people to vote.

"We had a very good response, but we still have a long way to go," Ms. Gruner said. "Many Hispanics don't think their vote can make a difference, and it's difficult to change their minds."

In Georgia, Mr. Gonzalez said it is important to continue voter registration, education and information drives and prepare a massive "Get Out To Vote" initiative for the November 2008 elections.

At the national level a coalition of prominent organizations and Spanish media companies have begun a campaign called Ya es Hora, Ve y Vota! or "It's time, go vote," in an effort to increase Hispanic participation for the upcoming presidential elections.

According to the Federal Election Commission, 34 percent of the nation's 27 million Hispanics age 18 and older were registered to vote in 2004, compared to 73 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 64 percent of blacks.

The commission has reported that one reason registration levels are so low among Hispanics is that lower proportions of their voting-age population are citizens and eligible to vote.

Only 59 percent of adult Hispanics in the United States are citizens, compared to almost 98 percent of white non-Hispanics and 94 percent of blacks.

Robin Smith, chairwoman of the Tennessee Republican Party, said the increasing number of Hispanic voters "speaks for the fact that there's more and more folks choosing to make America their home and do so legally." Ms. Smith believes candidates and parties should look at voters as individuals and not as voting blocs.

However, officials with some advocate groups say partnership with other minority groups can mean more effective representation.

Ms. Gruner organized a candidate forum with the Concerned Citizens of Dalton, an organization that addresses the needs of the black community. She said it is essential that minority groups get together.

"We need more services to benefit the common people, and if we each work separately, we will not have the same result that we would if we start working together," she said.

Well of course, and some American citizens are bilingual and others only speak Spanish, Polish, Greek, Vietnamize or a Chinese dialect. We have the right to vote because we are citizens not because of the language we speak.

What's your point? That we should print bilingual ballots in all those languages and more?

So are you saying kids don’t learn English in border towns in American public schools.

We spoke Portugese at my home in Miami and Spanish with our empleada and my girls did not speak English till around 4-5 years old in kindergarten but they picked it up immediately after that...like 3 months tops....conversational for their age.

If they teach in English or simply teach English in border towns then I can’t imagine children don’t learn just as quick.

We continued to speak non English at home since my ex wife did not know English and being in Miami did not need it really....at least not in Coral Gables

What's your point? That we should print bilingual ballots in all those languages and more?

Obviously, we cannot print ballots in every language however, we cannot infringe on a citizens right to vote simply because they are not proficient in English.

You are right, we cannot deny a person a right to vote based on race, gender or age and it would appear that a low could be passed prohibiting the right to vote based on English proficiency.

However, any such law would be stuck down by the Court based on the Equal Protection Clause.

However, any such law would be stuck down by the Court based on the Equal Protection Clause.

If the Equal Protection Clause, which is in the 14th Amendment, prohibits denying particular classes of people the right to vote, then why do we have the 15th & 19th Amendments?

The Equal Protection Clause use been cited by the Court to grant every right under the sun including the right for illegal aliens to be educated in our public schools.

I am sure the Court will have little problem with citing the Equal Protection Clause to protect the right to vote based and English proficiency. But it is a non issue since there will never be a law or amendment passed prohibiting citizens that do no speak English the right to vote.

The Equal Protection Clause use been cited by the Court to grant every right under the sun including the right for illegal aliens to be educated in our public schools.

Exactly! And that's a deliberate misinterpretation of the Equal Protection Clause by activist judges. In other words, your position that people who can't speak English have a right to vote is based not on logic, nor on the actual language of the written Constitution. It's based on sociological jurisprudence, where liberal judges "interpret" the Constitution to mean what they wish it meant, not what it actually means.

Now, you may be correct that we'll never again see a law passed requiring people to speak English to vote. But that's just one more sign that our Constitution has been overthrown and our American culture is being supplanted by invaders. It's like noting that Britain may never again see more people in Christian churches than in Mosques. It may be true, but it's something to lament.

In 2004 Bush got 45 percent of the Hispanic vote, Kerry 55 percent. That’s not a block.

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Illegals don’t just take jobs from whites.

I find it frustrating that our—well, Bush’s secreary of state is trying to cast this as a Israel vs. Palestine matter, when it has obviously become a Muslim-Jew thing. Bush-Rice cannot seem to rap their minds aound the religious character of this conflict. But it has been developing this way since 1967.

Absolutely it is a Muslim versus Jew dispute. What’s interesting is that secular Muslims cannot escape the oppressive atmosphere of Islam where the live. But secular Jews can easily stand apart for Jewishness and from the Orthodox in Israel. They will often viciously slam the Orthodox. No Muslim in any Muslim nation has such freedom. Some try it but they don’t last too long

If immigrants want to vote they need to learn English. If it were up to me there would be no bilingual ballots or publicly funded & distributed voting information. You learn English if you want to vote.

English deficient foreign born citizens can obviously do what they want in the voting booth but I wouldn’t cater to them. They should be catering to us by learning English

Well, he Muslim critique of Israel as a European colony has point when one look at secular Israelis. They are transplanted Europeans. But Arabs have a similar view of Chrisian Arabs. They also see what secular Europeans cannot see, which is how “tainted” Europe is by Christianity. Which is why the Muslims are trying to crush the Christian Community in the Lebanon. The iron is that so many Christian Arab Americans blame Israel for their plight.

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