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Previewing Latino Turnout: Plenty of Reasons to Vote

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We’ve already explained how to vote, but what follows is a run-down of why many Latino citizens are voting today.

In an election season filled with races in which Latino voters could make a difference (think especially: California, Nevada, Colorado…), Latino Decisions’ final weekly tracking poll shows that Latino voters have become more engaged and enthusiastic about voting in the final weeks leading up to tomorrow’s historic election.  While some of this is undoubtedly attributable to increased talk about the election and significant mobilization efforts by non-partisan groups, both parties’ recent actions and promises on immigration are offering Latinos plenty of reasons to vote, and making it clear what’s at stake on Election Day when it comes to the immigration debate.

In its recap of the final pre-election polling, Latino Decisions writes:

We find a Latino vote more energized, more enthused, and significantly more Democratic than at the start of the general election campaign…The percentage of Latinos reporting a certainty of voting has climbed to 76.9%, its highest level in the entire track, more than five points higher than where we were eight weeks back and more than 10 points higher than the low point in Wave 5.

As evidenced by the Latino Decisions polling and developments in key races, immigration is playing an important role in shaping Latino voter perceptions of both parties and intention to vote.  The parties’ immigration stances are a major reason that Latino Decisions found:

Overall, with undecided voters pushed to make a decision, we report 70% vote intention for Democrats, and 30% for Republicans, on the generic ballot midterm question.

For Latino citizens, there are plenty of reasons to vote this year. There are also stark choices between many of the candidates on issues of top importance, like immigration.