Commentary:
By Maria Cardona

In recent years, Americans have realized how effective the Latino vote can be. In the 2008 elections, about 9.7 million Latinos went to the polls. And in 2012, more than 12 million Latinos went out to vote, including 70 percent of the votes in favor of President Obama.

And although we have seen an increase in the number of Latinos who voted in the last presidential election, Latinos are still not participating and do not have the same amount of enthusiasm to vote in midterm elections that will ultimately elect officials that suit us and whom truly represents us.

Consequently, this is the biggest reason why we have not passed immigration reform.

Recently, the political research firm Latino Decisions, released an analysis which showed that 24 districts in the House of Representatives, controlled by Republicans, in which Latinos could play an important role in their election results.
The states where these competitive districts lie include Ohio, Colorado, Florida, New York, and Texas.

In addition, Latino Decisions presented the results of the survey where 800 Latino voters participated, half of which did vote during the 2010 midterm elections and the other half did not, but all did participate in the 2012 presidential election.

Regarding Immigration Reform, the survey indicated that 63 percent of voters would view the Republican Party in one way or another somewhat less favorable if the Republicans in the House of Representatives would block Immigration Reform.

However, the survey indicated that 67 percent of the participants believe that some kind of executive action on deportations and immigration reform would be positive for the Democrats.

During a recent event for the Democratic Party, President Obama said that Latinos “tend to get excited about the presidential election, but not during the midterm elections.”

The truth is that the president is absolutely right. In an election cycle where Democrats’ control of the Senate could be in danger, it is important that we spread the word to all our friends and family in the Latino community to get out and vote in November.

In the 2010 midterm elections, Latinos reached 6.6 million votes. And while that participation was a record for midterm elections, in 2014, more than 24 million Latinos are eligible to vote.

With such an impressive figure, it is time that Latinos make their voices heard and thus make sure that the 24 million is not only a number, but a road to ensure that Democrats have the majority in Congress to create a path to pass Immigration Reform, which will benefit the economy and the middle class, and ensure that Obamacare will continue to help more than 10 million Latinos across the country.

Maria Cardona is a Democratic Strategist and a Principal at the Dewey Square Group, where she founded Latinovations and shares insightful commentary on current event, http://www.latinovations.com