New National Poll Finds Immigration Reform and Economy Top Issues for Latino Voters on Election Day

Washington, D.C. – The latest data from an election eve poll of 5,000 Latino voters nationwide and in key 2014 states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Nevada, North Carolina and Texas) suggests immigration reform will play a critical role in the decisions Latino voters make at the polls this year.

Two of three Latino voters polled nationwide stated that immigration reform was the most important (33 percent) or one of the most important issues (34 percent) in the decisions they make in Election 2014. Other top issues for Latino voters include jobs/economy (34 percent), education reform (21 percent) and healthcare (17 percent).

The poll results demonstrate that immigration remains a deeply personal issue for Latino voters, with 58 percent of those polled indicating they know a family member, friend, co-worker or someone in their lives who is an undocumented immigrant. In key states like Colorado (65 percent), Georgia (65 percent), North Carolina (66 percent) and Nevada (64 percent), this number was even higher than the national average. Full state results are available at www.latinovote2014.com.

Additional analysis of poll results reveal that the Latino vote remains up for grabs and that the decision to vote is not tied to political party allegiances for a significant portion of the Latino electorate. A majority of Latino voters stated they are voting to represent the Latino community (37 percent), rather than to support a specific Democratic (34 percent) or Republican (16 percent) candidate.

The poll was conducted by Latino Decisions, in partnership with NALEO Educational Fund, America’s Voice, Latino Victory Project, the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), AFL-CIO, Mi Familia Vota, and People For the American Way. Additional national and state data will be released as the polls close in each state tonight, with updates posted on www.latinovote2014.com throughout the evening.*

NALEO Educational Fund projects that at least 7.8 million Latinos will cast ballots this year, an increase of 1.2 million from the 2010 midterm elections. In 2010, more than 6.6 million Latino voters cast ballots, with the Latino electorate playing a decisive role in delivering victories in key state races and to U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV).

In the lead up to Election Day, NALEO Educational Fund has been hard at work ensuring that Latino voters have the information necessary to cast ballots. These efforts include producing a poll monitor toolkit for organizations interesting in protecting the rights of voters in Election 2014 and distributing bilingual palm cards with the voter bill of rights and identification requirements specific to Ariz., Fla., N.C. and Texas. In addition, NALEO Educational Fund and partners produced English (Election Protection) and Spanish (ya es hora) smartphone apps that allow voters to: confirm their registration status; fill out a voter registration form; find their polling place; access voter ID requirements; or report any problems.

NALEO Educational Fund also continues to operate its toll-free national hotline 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA (1-888-839-8682) and www.veyvota.org website in the lead up to Tuesday, which serve as non-partisan bilingual resources for voters with questions about any aspect of the electoral process. Headquartered in our Los Angeles offices, the hotline is linked to 866-OUR-VOTE and staffed year-round by fully trained bilingual operators. The hotline has assisted more than 100,000 voters to date, including more than 4,700 calls in the lead up to the 2010 midterm elections.

*The remaining poll questions will be released in a press conference on Wednesday at 12:30pm eastern. Reporters may obtain a copy of this data under embargo starting at 9am on Wednesday. The embargo lifts at 12:30pm that day. To obtain the embargoed results, email katy@newpartners.com.