How Did Latinos Vote in 2014?

on in Civic Engagement

At noon today, we’ll be live-tweeting a press briefing at the National Press Club to discuss yesterday’s elections and how Latinos voted. An election eve poll of nearly 5,000 Latino voters nationwide and in key 2014 states (Ariz., Calif., Calif., Colo., Fla., Ga., Ill., Kan., Nev., N.C., and Texas) provides new insights into Latino voter behavior in the 2014 elections.

Follow #Mobilize2Vote for live updates.


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Here are some top lines of the poll results. More will be revealed at our press event.

  • IMMIGRATION THE TOP ISSUE FACING THE LATINO COMMUNITY: National: A plurality of 45 percent of Latino voters nationwide said immigration reform was the most important issue facing the Latino community that politicians should address; 34 percent ranked the economy or job creation first, while 21 percent mentioned education/schools, and 17 percent said health care. (For state by state results click here.)
  • LATINOS #1 REASON TO VOTE? TO SUPPORT THE LATINO COMMUNITY, NOT EITHER PARTY: A plurality of Latino voters nationwide, 37 percent, said they were voting in 2014 to “support the Latino community,” while 34 percent said they were voting to support the Democratic candidate and 16 percent said they were voting to support the Republican candidate. (For state by state results click here.)
  • TWO-THIRDS OF LATINOS SAY IMMIGRATION WAS THE MOST/ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES IN VOTING DECISIONS: A combined two-thirds of Latino voters nationwide (67 percent) said that the issue of immigration was either the most important issue in their decision to vote and their candidate preference (33 percent said “the most”) or “one of the important issues” (34 percent). An additional 19 percent said immigration was “somewhat important” while only 9% said immigration was “not really important” to their voting decisions. (For state by state results click here.)
  • FIFTY-EIGHT PERCENT OF LATINO VOTERS NATIONWIDE KNOW AN UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANT: Underscoring the personal relevance of the immigration debate for many respondents, 58 percent of Latino voters nationwide report knowing an undocumented immigrant, while 35 percent of Latino voters did not. (For state by state results click here.)

The poll was conducted by Latino Decisions. The original sponsors for the poll are America’s Voice, Latino Victory Project, and NCLR (National Council of La Raza), and they have been joined by the following partners: AFL-CIO, Mi Familia Vota, NALEO Educational Fund and People For the American Way.