81% of Naturalized Latinos Sign Up to Vote, Study Says : Findings Show Big Interest in Political Process but Many Immigrants Have No Party Ties

In findings that have important implications for political recruitment efforts, a study released Thursday shows that 81% of naturalized Latino immigrants have registered to vote but many have not aligned themselves with either the Democratic or Republican party.

The study, conducted for the National Assn. of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, found that about 25% of naturalized Latino immigrants have not embraced either party, and that 62% of legal immigrants who are eligible for citizenship have no party preference.

The registration level among foreign-born Latino citizens eclipses that of all American citizens, 70% of whom are registered to vote, reflecting a high level of interest on the part of immigrants in participating in the political process here.

The registration finding defies conventional wisdom that Latinos generally are uninterested in American politics, said Harry Pachon, executive director of NALEO and a Kenan professor of politics at Pitzer College in Claremont.

The survey was based on 1,636 interviews with naturalized citizens and permanent legal residents from eight states, including California. Nearly half of the participants were born in Mexico, while more than a fourth immigrated from Cuba. The rest were from 15 other Latin American nations.

Among naturalized immigrants from Mexico, 42% identified themselves as Democrats and 16% as Republicans. That contrasts sharply with naturalized Cubans, 63% of whom are affiliated with the Republican Party and only 9% with the Democratic Party.

Among naturalized immigrants from other nations, 34% called themselves Democrats and 28% Republicans. In the U.S. population at large, 35% identify themselves as Democrats and 27% as Republicans.

Key Constituency

The large numbers of nonaligned immigrants, combined with Census Bureau statistics showing that 81% of registered Latinos voted in the 1988 presidential election, indicate that Latino citizens are an increasingly important constituency for the major parties.

“We found that voting is a leading reason for becoming a U.S. citizen, so these unaffiliated citizens represent an untapped well for the parties to court,” said Rep. Edward R. Roybal (D-Los Angeles), president of the association’s educational fund.

Pachon said almost 5 million non-naturalized Latinos legally reside in the country. And by late 1993, that pool will increase by nearly 2 million under the terms of the nation’s alien amnesty law.

The study found that 95% of Latinos polled cited voting as one of the leading reasons for naturalizing. Providing greater opportunities for their children and enhanced immigration prospects for family members also were considered primary reasons.

“Latino immigrants want to participate in their community through the ballot box,” said Rep. Jaime B. Fuster (D-Puerto Rico), chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. “Voting is a fundamental right of U.S. citizens, and Latinos want to have a say in the direction of their communities.”

NALEO officials said the findings may signal the need for an overhaul of traditional party recruiting tactics.

“What this means is that perhaps political parties and strategists should adopt a longer-term political empowerment strategy,” Pachon said. “Rather than conducting registration drives, perhaps these groups should pour their efforts into naturalization drives.”

Carmen O. Perez, vice chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, said the NALEO study will force political parties to re-examine approaches aimed at largely Latino communities.

“These people are up for grabs,” Perez said. “We’re in a competitive situation here, and, obviously, we can’t take any presumed party affiliation for granted. What this shows is that these citizens participate fully in the life of their communities.”

Latinos traditionally are identified with the Democratic Party, Pachon said, primarily because they tend to fall into lower- and middle-income groups. The median annual household income of survey respondents was about $18,000, Pachon said. The median for all households is about $27,000, according to the Census Bureau.

The study also found an overwhelming majority of Latino immigrants intend to stay in the United States, but many have delayed applying for citizenship because they say the exam is too difficult.

Despite their lower household incomes, 51% of foreign-born Latinos said they own their own homes. That compares favorably with the 64% level of home ownership among all Americans.

“Latino immigrants are reaching for the classic American dream,” said Rep. Solomon Ortiz (D-Tex.), a NALEO board member. “Home ownership demonstrates that Latino immigrants are setting down roots and investing in their neighborhoods.”

About 30% of respondents cited economic reasons for immigrating, while 22% said they wanted to join family members already living here.

Naturalization requires five years of permanent residence, demonstration of basic English skills and knowledge of basic U.S. history.

Andrew Hernandez, president of the Southwest Voter Registration education project in San Antonio, said the study affirms what followers of voting trends have known intuitively: immigrant citizens tend to participate in the electoral process at a higher rate than natives.

“Now we have the hard data to back that up,” Hernandez said. “There’s a good chunk of folks out there (who are) not becoming citizens. If we did more outreach and made the process more accessible, we would have a lot more participation in the electoral process.

“It would be a healthy way of infusing our civic culture with the enthusiasm and passion of these immigrants.”