Latino Voters 2012 and Beyond: Will the Fastest Growing and Evolving Electoral Group Shape U.S. Politics?

Abstract:     
The author reviews two recent books, Marisa A. Abrajano’s "Campaigning to the New American Electorate: Advertising to Latino Voters" (2010) and Marisa A. Abrajano’s and R. Michael Alvarez’s "New Faces New Voices: The Hispanic Electorate in America" (2010). These books are part of a growing literature that scientifically studies the evolving Latino electorate, and attempts to answer difficult questions about this ethnic group’s electorate cohesiveness and how candidates might be able to influence the Latino electorate. A careful read of Abrajano’s recent books brings additional understanding to Latino voter behavior, and by implication, how this key group will influence the electoral game in 2012 and beyond. The main message of these texts is that the Latino vote is complex and evolving and not easy to shoehorn into existing frameworks.

Keywords: Latinos, voting, elections, electoral behavior, politics, identity, ethnic groups

Accepted Paper Series