Latino Voters in Central Florida up for Grabs, Study Says
Cecilia Figueroa--EFE
HispanicBusiness.com
Aug 4, 2008
Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama will have to work hard to win the votes of the Hispanic community in Central Florida because these voters lack firm party allegiances, according to a study released Thursday.
"It's something very interesting, very special here in Orlando and its surroundings: the Hispanic voting population isn't defined. One moment the majority votes Republican and the next it votes Democrat," Jorge Mursuli, president of the non-partisan Democracia USA organization, told Efe.
At a press conference, Mursuli explained the details of the survey his Miami-based group conducted with polling firm Bendixen & Associates.
According to the study, the preferences of Central Florida Hispanic voters for the parties varied by year: in 2000 Republican, 2002 Democrat, 2004 Republican and in 2006 Democrat.
The data presented indicate that in 2008, 44 percent of Hispanics were registered as Democrats, 22 percent as Republicans and 34 percent as independents.
"What's important is knowing that both candidates have to pay attention here. They're going to have to invest in ads in the press, visit the communities, because obviously the voters are not committed to one party," Mursuli added.
He emphasized the growth in numbers of Hispanic voters in the region, where some 234,000 such voters are registered this year, substantially more than the 66,000 registered in 2000.
Over the same period, the Latino population of Greater Orlando grew from 344,000 to 650,000.
"Florida has the largest number of electoral votes among the states where they talk about the importance of the Hispanic vote," Mursuli said, apparently assuming that the Republicans stand little chance of wresting California - which leads the nation both in electoral votes and Latino population - away from the Democrats.
"The percentage of Hispanic voters in the primary elections was historic and this indicates that this type of trend will take place in the coming presidential elections," he added.
In 2005-2006, Democracia USA registered 65 percent of the new voters in Central Florida, signing up a total of 19,000, while other groups together registered only 10,000.
In the study presented Thursday, Osceola County stood out with the largest percentage of Hispanic voters, with 32 percent, followed by Orange County, which includes Orlando, with 19 percent.
"Without a doubt, Osceola County has the largest concentration of Hispanics because the community has developed here, because of the location of its parks and attractions. The Hispanic community got started here and it's where the majority of Puerto Ricans are," Mursuli said.
He said Democracia USA will continue with its voter registration efforts and to provide information about the election process in the country.
"We're getting involved with the voters from (showing them) how to vote to where to go, if this is the first time that they're going to vote and other things. Besides that, we're developing leaders in the local communities so that they can speak up about the importance of the elections," he said.
