Iraq No. 1 issue to voting Hispanic youth
HALLIE D. MARTIN - MEDILL NEWS SERVICE
Politico.com
Jul 22, 2008
If Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama want to snag the young Hispanic vote, they might have to talk more about the Iraq war.
More than half of young Latinos registered to vote said the war was the most important issue, showed a poll taken by Democracia U.S.A., a nonpartisan group. The survey did not ask whether they supported or opposed the war.
The economy came in second as 42 percent of the 18-to-29-year-olds polled said that was the central issue for them.
The war is most important to a majority because there is a growing population of Hispanics serving in Iraq.
Democracia pollster Sergio Bendixen said the growth in military enlistments and the tendency of Hispanics to have bigger families makes them more likely to know someone in the military and therefore more invested in the war.
"They have a personal connection," he said.
That result was a surprise because the majority of voters, including non-Hispanic youths, said the economy is what they care about the most, Bendixen said.
The telephone survey conducted in April and July showed young Hispanic voters also rated health care, immigration, education and the environment as top issues. The poll's margin of error was plus or minus 4 percent.
There are about 2.5 million registered Hispanics aged 18 to 29, about a quarter of the Hispanic electorate, and they are ready to vote in a contest that 85 percent say is the most important election in American history.
"They are investing in this country by registering to vote and voting," said Jorge Mursuli, president of Democracia.
This Hispanic electorate is following the candidates' every move as well, as nearly three-quarters of them said they are following the race to the White House very closely.
"They voted heavily in the primary and will vote in the general election," Bendixen said.
Nearly all of the 500 people surveyed said the Latino population is discriminated against, which Bendixen believes is driving young Hispanic voters to register, and why they see this election as a crucial one.
"Young, Hispanic American citizens feel the sting of discrimination," Mursuli said. "They bear the brunt of anti-immigration attacks even though immigration reform doesn't affect them directly."
The Young Latino vote is a "key ingredient" in some swing states, Bendixen said.
But if McCain or Obama want that young Latino vote, they should reach out to the community, which Mursuli said he hasn't seen much of yet.
"They need to build a relationship before talking about issues," he added.
Democracia doesn't have data on which presidential candidate the young Latinos are leaning toward.
But both Mursuli and Bendixen predict that once in the voting booth, this electorate will pull the lever for Obama.
"Young people are flocking to Obama," Mursuli said.
