Latino Election Essay

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Running Head: The Importance of the Latino Vote in an Election

The Importance of the Latino Vote in an Election

La Familia

The Importance of the Latino Vote in an Election
This past election reached a turning point for Latinos when Barack Obama was reelected as president of the United States. If it were not for the increase percentage of Latinos voting, Obama would not have had a chance in taking victory in the election. On the other hand, Mitt Romney received one of the lowest percentages for republicans in recent times. Much less than the 35 percent that former President George W. Bush received in 2000, or the 40 percent he received in 2004, or the 31 percent that former Republican candidate Sen. John McCain got in 2008 vote (Andres Oppenheimer. 2012). He mistakenly believed he could win without the help of the Latino vote. Well he was wrong, for he only received 27 percent of the Latino vote (Andres Oppenheimer. 2012).
A portion of Obama’s democratic victory was due to the increase in Latino voting, in which he received 71 percent in comparison to the 27 percent Romney received (Andres Oppenheimer. 2012). Such results arose from the beneficial campaigning of Obama. He vowed in the 2008 election to suspend deportation of undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as minors but only if they fit a certain criteria. This would be known as the DREAM Act. Approximately 1 million immigrants would benefit from that initiative (American Immigration Policy, 2012). The DREAM Act is a bill first introduced to congress in 2008 (American Immigration Policy, 2012). It was created to help youths who were brought to the United States by undocumented parents as children, who are graduating from high school to not only find a pathway to citizenship, but also be allowed to continue with their education into college and beyond. This act allowed a person to be granted a temporary allowance to remain in the United Stares for up to 6 years. In order to qualify for the DREAM Act there was a certain criteria you had to fit. The students applying must have been in the United States before their 16th birthday, must have lived in the United States for at least five consecutive years, must have graduated from high school, obtained a GED or be currently enrolled in a college or trade school. In addition, the applicant must have been 30 years of age or under when applying. The application process was not only risky, for if you were not approved then you would be deported, but it was also extremely pricy (American Immigration Policy, 2012).
That particular vow did not follow through nationwide but in Obama’s last year of office before his reelection, he created something known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Now, some people believe that his only motive for creating this document just months before election week was just a tactic to persuade Latinos into voting for him. One vow Obama brought forth this year was to decrease taxes in the middle class and increase taxes on the rich, which was something that seemed very beneficial to many middle class Hispanics. He also vowed on continuing to stimulate the economy by creating new jobs and investing in health care, education, energy and infrastructures.
Romney truly believed that he could win the election without the Latino vote, what he did not account for was that Latinos occupy 16.5 percent of our population, a portion big enough to make a powerful difference (Andres Oppenheimer, 2012). A part of Romney’s conservative platform consisted of discontinuing Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, something that frightened Latinos. DACA, was a policy put into place by presidential decree and that is why Romney could chose to change it once elected president. When Romney spoke out about his vow to eliminate DACA Latinos went ballistic, they feared deportation from what they saw as their home. Parents brought their children to the United States to provide them
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