Why Should Latinos Vote?
Because Leaders Listen
Debbie Schildkraut
Department of Politics

Despite the pervasive cynicism that exists among the American electorate, the fact remains that the political system is quite responsive to citizens and to groups of citizens. True, such responsiveness is in large part driven by the desire to get re-elected, but it is responsiveness nonetheless. And the bottom line is simply this: for government to be responsive to your concerns, you must be involved. As the population of the United States becomes more and more diverse, it is important that the nation's electorate become more and more diverse as well. A group of people need not be wealthy nor in possession of an office on K street for elected officials to pay attention. There is power in numbers and the more Latinos and other minorities vote, the more interest Congress and state governments will show in their concerns.

This observation applies to all voters but is especially important for traditionally disadvantaged or marginalized groups. My own research illustrates the responsiveness of the system in a policy area that has tended to be of particular interest to the Latino community: official-English laws at the state level. I find that legislatures in states with more Latino residents are unlikely to pass an official-English law if the state's constitution does not allow direct initiatives and that legislatures in states with more Latino residents are likely to pass an official-English law if the state's constitution does allow for direct initiatives (hence, different law-making patterns in California and Arizona on the one hand and New York and New Jersey on the other). What are the implications of this finding, and what does it mean for Latino voters in the current election?

There is no national ballot initiative system, a fact that often prevents minority concerns from being swept aside. Ballot initiatives often provide a way for the majority to circumvent the normal policymaking channels and enact laws that the legislature would otherwise avoid. They also provide an "excuse" for lawmakers: vetoing or voting against a bill that might later pass by voter initiative can result in an unwanted crisis of legitimacy. My findings support the conventional belief that if immigrants and minorities become more involved in the political process, both locally and nationally, then lawmakers are less likely to support legislation that alienates them. That the current Democratic and Republican presidential candidates regularly demonstrate their ability to speak Spanish suggests that this might already be happening, though whether this symbolic gesture is a preview to legislative intent clearly remains to be seen. One way for Latinos to tip the balance in their favor is to vote on Election Day.

In short, diverse states potentially have diverse electorates. If a particular group of voters makes its concerns known, elected officials do take note. Put these two observations together, and the result will be a system that is responsive to the concerns of minority voters. But diversity among the population must be translated into diversity among the electorate before this can happen. In other words: vote!