Latinos Make Voter Registration Gains In Los Angeles.

The numbers of Latinos who are registering to vote in the City of Los Angeles continue to climb and will comprise a record high share of the total vote in the upcoming May 17th Mayoral election, according to statistics compiled by the William C. Velasquez Institute. According to its analysis culled from data current to the beginning of April 2004, the Latino vote in Los Angeles has grown by 20,047 net new voters, (or +6.3% compared to 2001), even as the overall Los Angeles electorate has shrunk by 68,985 voters (for a -4.5% growth).

“Our data indicate that the proportion of the Latino vote has steadily increased since the 2001 mayoral election, and is likely to represent 27% or more of the total votes cast in the upcoming election for L.A. City’s next mayor,” said Antonio Gonzalez, President of the William C. Velasquez Institute (WCVI), based in Los Angeles, Ca and San Antonio, Texas. “These are strong numbers that bode well for the Latino community and the role it will play in Los Angeles area politics.”

According to WCVI’s data, approximately 316,000 Latino voters were registered for the 2001 mayoral election, representing roughly 20.6% of the total votes cast. In the June 2001 Mayoral election, Latinos comprised 24% of the votes cast, and turned out at a rate of 43% of registered (compared to a 37% rate of turnout for all LA voters). Last month, more than 336,000 Latinos were registered in the City of Los Angeles, representing 23% of the total registered. “It is likely that the last minute registration surge during the month of April pushed Latino voter totals to between 340,000 and 350,000, or
24%” added Gonzalez.

“Given the 2001 election, in which Latinos voted at a higher rate than their share of the registered (24% of the votes cast compared to 20.6% of the registered), we believe that the same will occur in 2005. We therefore predict that the Latino share of votes cast in the May 17th Mayoral election will be in the 27-30% range,” Gonzalez continued.

“Across the city, Latinos are more engaged in the political process,” added Gonzalez. “Whether they live in the Valley, the South LA or the eastside, our data indicate that Latinos are showing up to the polls in greater numbers than in the past.”

For more information at http://www.wcvi.org

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