Latino Mobilization and Vote Choice in the 2000 Presidential Election

Abstract

Previous scholarship on Latino politics has demonstrated that mobilization has a statistically significant effect on voter turnout, suggesting the importance of get-out-the-vote campaigns to increase Latino political participation. Although nonpartisan organizations exist to mobilize Latino voters, most of the phone calls are made by political parties and candidates. I argue that the real test of effectiveness for partisan mobilization is vote choice. Using data from the 2000 presidential election, I model vote choice to determine whether or not Latinos who were contacted by Democrats and Republicans were more likely to vote for Al Gore and George W. Bush. I find that party mobilization by other Latinos is crucial to influencing vote choice. Specifically, Latinos who were contacted by Latino Republicans were significantly more likely to prefer Bush, whereas Latinos who were contacted by non-Latino Republicans were significantly less likely to prefer Bush. Several models are explored.

The renewal and persistence of group identification in American politics

“…Barreto (2007) (2006) found that Spanish language campaign commercials had a positive and significant impact on Latino turnout, however English commercials had no effect at all. With regard to vote choice in 2000, Nuño (2007) 187 and using strong anti-immigrant rhetoric the result was Latinos flocking to the Democratic Party (Barreto and Woods 2007). Thus, ethnic identity is, and will remain salient for Latinos vis-à-vis the political system for generations to come.…”

Mobilizing Latino Voters

“…In randomized field experiments, in-person canvassing tends to produce similar-sized boosts in Latino turnout as those found in studies of mostly White voters (Michelson, 2003;Ramirez, 2005). 2 A related and growing literature has documented that the Latino electorate is most effectively mobilized through interaction with other Latinos-whether candidates or campaign workers (Barreto, 2007;Nuño, 2007;Shaw et al, 2000;Barreto & Nuño 2011;Garza et al 2007)). What factors account for the efficacy of co-ethnic candidacy and outreach and explain why both appear to outperform generic mobilization tactics pursued by other organizations?…”

What About Disillusionment? Exploring the Pathways to Black Nationalism

“…5 Dawson's argument seems incompatible with standard characterizations of human behavior being ''rational'' and ''self-interested,'' but an example from the party identification literature will shed light on predictive power, the notion of linked fate appears in several literatures. For example, Masuoka (2008), Nuño (2007), Sanchez (2006), and Stokes-Brown (2003, confirm that perceptions of linked fate are instrumental in mobilizing Latino political activism and informing Latinos' vote choice. Likewise, Junn (2008) and Junn and Masuoka (2008a, b) find that linked fate plays a similarly important role in shaping the political orientations of Asian citizens.…”