Honors Projects

Abstract

After Latino-Americans demonstrated their power in the 2012 presidential election, securing increased minority support at the polls has become a primary goal for both major U.S. political parties. A reliable bloc of Latino voters on one’s side could mean more wins, yet Latinos have a low voter turnout rate. This paper explores how to increase Latino turnout and argues that the use of the Spanish language in electoral advertising will have a positive effect and actually raise the rate of Latino participation. By comparing statewide Latino turnout data during both the 2002 midterm elections and the 2008 presidential election, I find states with a sizable amount of Spanish-language get-out-the-vote messages do see increased rates of Latino voter turnout even when controlling for other variables, suggesting Spanish-language advertising could possibly be a useful supplemental tool in future political campaigns.

Department

Political Science

Major

Political Science

First Advisor

Nicole Kalaf-Hughes, Ph.D.

First Advisor Department

Political Science

Second Advisor

Amy Robinson, Ph.D.

Second Advisor Department

Romance and Classical Studies

Third Advisor

Marc Simon, Ph.D.

Third Advisor Department

Political Science

Publication Date

Spring 5-4-2015

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