does the Democratic Party because of the
support of Cuban Americans, who usual-
ly vote Republican and who are the most
affluent Hispanic subgroup.
What is more, Hispanic voting pat-
terns have become increasingly unpre-
dictable. As of 2004, 24 percent of Hispanic
voters considered themselves independent
voters with no allegiance to either
Democrats or Republicans. Forty-nine
percent were Democrats, and 27 percent
were Republicans.
In the end, blanket statements about
Hispanic voting patterns are problematic.
Many considerations enter into the voting
decisions of Hispanic Americans. Some
are moved by conservative social values,
such as support for family and religion.
Often, they have supported vouchers for
parochial schools. But many lean to the left
on such issues as civil rights and spending
on social programs. Since so many
Hispanic Americans are immigrants, U.S.
immigration policy has been of particular
concern, as has the issue of bilingual educa-
tion, which has periodically roiled regions
with heavy immigration. In 1996, for
example, voters in California passed
Proposition 227, limiting bilingual educa-
tion, over considerable Hispanic opposi-tion. Most Hispanics consider bilingual
education an effective way of helping
immigrant children compete academically
and make the transition to English-only
classes; many also think that Hispanic cul-
ture and language generally need to be
taught more in school.
Not surprisingly, Latinos have fol-
lowed the immigration debates closely. A
2006 survey found that 42 percent of native
born Latinos believe that the large immi-
gration rights marches of that spring had a
positive effect on the way the American
public thinks about illegal and undocu-
mented immigrants, while 24 percent felt
they had a negative impact and 16 percent
felt they had no impact. Foreign-born
Latinos were more positive, with 60 per-
cent believing the marches impacted pub-
lic perception positively, 18 percent
negatively, and 12 percent believing they
had no effect. What’s more, three quarters
of Latinos surveyed believed that the immi-
gration debate in Spring 2006 would drive
more Latinos to the polls that November.
(Latino voting did, in fact, increase.)
There are thousands of Hispanic
elected officials, most in local and state
offices, and many appointed Hispanic
officials as well, such as Bill Richardson,230 ATLAS OF HISPANIC-AMERICAN HISTORY
Bill Richardson, governer of New
Mexico, also served as a U.S.
congressman and as Secretary of
Energy during the Clinton
Administration. (House of
Representatives)
Hispanic Versus White Voting, 1994–2006