Latino Voting Participation: Explaining and Differentiating Latino Voting Turnout

Abstract

Latinos orHispanics are the distinctive ethnic groups most rapidly increasing in numbers in the United States. Yet, this notably burgeoning population is disproportionately underresearched and underrepresented. Research exploring the reasons for the low levels of participation and representation is greatly hampered by the failure of research organizations to collect adequate data on Latinos as well as the misconception of the characteristics of this group. The Latino National Political Survey (LNPS) provides an unprecedented opportunity to begin analyzing the Latino political communities. This study analyzes some of the characteristics of Latinos that affect voting participation. Using the LNPS data, selected sociodemographic indexes correlated with voter turnout are examined. Logistic regression models empirically demonstrate the importance of distinguishing among subgroups and also confirms that socioeconomic factors, most notably life-cycle effect variables, are of critical significance in predicting voter turnout.