Uncertain Latino vote garnering attention

When it comes to the Latino vote’s impact on the presidential election, it remains to be seen if it carries a powerful punch.

According to the Pew Hispanic Center, there have been record turnout levels in each presidential election, dating back to the 1980’s.

Currently, nearly 24 million Latinos are eligible to vote in the upcoming election and their vote is typically strongly Democratic.

“We’ll have to see how things turnout on Election Day, but certainly the Latino vote’s influence and the attention that it’s garnering is higher this year than it was in 2008,” said Associate Director of the Pew Hispanic Center, Mark Hugo Lopez.

According to a study conducted by the non-partisan research center, “the turnout rate of eligible Latino voters has historically lagged that of whites and blacks by substantial margins. In 2008, for example, 50 percent of eligible Latino voters cast ballots, compared with 65 percent of blacks and 66 percent of whites.”