The civic group Voto Latino says it has reached a key goal in its voter registration efforts, passing 100,000 mark for new registrants. Ed O'Keefe writes:
Voto Latino, a nonpartisan, mostly online-based voter registration group, says it helped compile 101,720 new voter registrations between November 2015 and last weekend, topping registration rates from previous presidential election years. In the past few weeks, the group says it has been assisting more than 5,000 people register per day, exceeding a 3,000-per day goal. [...]
The group's top four states for registrations were Texas (20,483 new voters), California (13,394), Florida (10,565) and North Carolina (6,297). Just 2 percent of the Tar Heel State's registered voters are Hispanic, roughly 135,000 out of more than 6.4 million as of February, according to the nonpartisan Pew Research Center.
It's impossible to verify the group's numbers or to tell if all of its new registrations came from Latino voters. But the group’s efforts build upon those launched this election by multiple Latino organizations, including the National Council of La Raza, Mi Familia Vota, and Univision.
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Most voter registration groups have reportedly been hamstrung by decreased funding this election cycle. Voto Latino, which focuses on online registrations, appears to have maximized its efforts by pinpointing when voter interest would peak and simultaneously pushing social media strategies.
Of course, knowing how many new Latino voters will actually turn out to vote next month is the guessing game of the season. All indications this election cycle based on Latino engagement, registration efforts, and new naturalizations suggest the numbers will go up on Election Day, potentially to significant effect in states like Florida and North Carolina. Increased interest spurred by Trump this cycle could also impact the makeup of future electorates.
Earlier this year, California officials reported that the number of Hispanics registering to vote had doubled in the first three months of this year compared with the same period in 2012. In Texas, naturalization ceremonies in the Houston area swelled earlier this year to about 2,200 per month, compared with 1,200 before, according to an analysis by the Houston Chronicle.