User:Akumar099/Latino vote

''EXISTING: Individuals with lower incomes vote at lower rates than people with higher incomes. In terms of income, the general argument is that individuals with higher socioeconomic status have the civic skills, the participatory attitudes, and the time and money to facilitate participation. Education is also positively related to participation and vote choice, as Latinos/as with a college degree and postgraduate training are more likely to vote. More than 30 percent of Hispanic adult citizens have less than a high school education, while 12 percent of non-Hispanic white adult citizens have less than a high school education. Therefore, low participation may result from low levels of knowledge about the political process that should be garnered through formal education.''

This does vary based on country of origin. One study discussed how female Mexican-Americans and those attaining higher levels of income were more likely to register, and in turn, participate in voting. On the other hand, however, education and marital status posed the primary barriers to Latino/a Puerto Rican voter registration. These sorts of variations in factors seem to be present across many Hispanic communities in the United States. Additionally, studies have shown that the presence of Latino/a candidates on the ballot tends to yield a higher voter turnout among these communities. This is in part due to the strong association between cultural identification and partisanship. The ever-growing presence of Latino/a voters in politics is representative of the group's growing presence across the United States, making up over 30% of the population in swing or politically significant states such as Texas, Arizona, or California. It's also worth noting that large migrating populations, such as the increase of Cuban-Americans in Florida, have a strong impact for similar reasons. Community identification proves a strong factor in voter registration, particularly among working Latinas. Puerto Ricans in Southern states have similar turnout rates, presumably for similar reasons; that said, there does exist quite a bit of variation in numbers across states, in part due to the aforementioned factors.

Latino/a Vote Influences
''EXISTING: There is a significant amount of literature dedicated to analyzing what influences Latino/a vote choices. One strong determinant has been found to be religion, which is believed to play a role in defining the political attitudes and behaviors of Latino/a voters. Latinos/as have long been associated with Catholicism with respect to faith and religious identity and with the Democratic Party with regard to political allegiance and identity. Although most Latinos/as affiliate themselves with the Democratic Party, the Latino National Political Survey, has found a consistent finding that some Latinos/as identify themselves ideologically as moderates and conservatives. Social conservatism usually originates from religion, which oftentimes predicts the LatinX population's opposition to abortion, same-sex marriage, support for the death penalty, and support for traditional gender roles.''

(as part of the above paragraph): Religion's ideological role is undeniable in its political influence in both parties. However, noting the shared collective identity that is often associated with a particular religion, it's worth noting that political beliefs are often a result of community values, rather than solely religious. Notably, in 2006 and 2008, the Democratic party held an advantage in Latino/a voter turnout and results. During these election cycles, and still to a degree today, the Democratic party appeals to issues such as immigration and healthcare, while the Republican party tends to continue on social issues and religion-based appeal.

Although the Latina vote, in particular, is sometimes seen as a product of social movements in many media outlets, some scholars in the social sciences argue that it is a movement in and of itself born out of historical left-wing advocacy. For example, LLEGÓ, the National Latina/o Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Organization (1987-present) remains a leader in Latina activism in the United States. Organizations such as LLEGÓ have had historical impact over the political ideologies of its members, and has greatly influenced political participation over the years within these often overlooked communities. Considering the aforementioned important role played by ethnic and religious identity, these organizations cultivate a sense of collective political pride. In turn, voting turnout is often seen to increase with regards to historical and current members of LLEGÓ and other groups.

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''EXISTING: Political ads have also been studied to determine how they influence Latino/a voting behavior. In a study conducted by Abrajano, it was concluded that different political ads influence Latino/a vote choices depending on how assimilated individuals are to American life. For Spanish dominated Latinos/as, political ads that tapped into ethnic identity seemed to be the most influential. On the other hand, for assimilated Latinos/as, ethnic appeals did have some influence but exposure to more informative policy ads in English or Spanish had a greater impact on these voters' decision to vote. ''

During political movements in the 1960s and 1970s such as the women's liberation movement and the Chicano movement, Latina females began to unite around ideals similar to those embraced by feminist voter organizations including the Third World Women's Alliance and other Bay Area activist groups. According to a study performed using the November 2000 CPS, education appeared to hold the greatest influence over Latina voter registration and choice, among income, employment, and homeowner status. However, this study was conducted across the United States. Keeping this in mind, it is important to reconcile the issues important to singular communities with these overarching themes. For example, considering the growing Latino/a populations in Florida from Puerto Rico, factors of registration and choice will differ greatly between these groups and Latinos/as in other parts of the state.