Chapter Three: Immigrant Voting Records and Presidential Elections

Despite the widespread belief that immigrants vote overwhelmingly for the Democratic Party, the reality is different. Immigrants shift between the two major parties, depending on the social and political issues of the times. As such, immigrants respond to the current politics just as much as nonimmigrants do.

This lecture was recorded in the fall of 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Discussion Questions

1. Why is acculturation important for political participation?
2. What factors keep immigrants out of the electoral process?

Additional Resources

• Read “Winning California’s Latino Vote,” by David Leal. Available here.
• Read “One in Four Latinos Voted for Trump Last Time. They’ll Likely Do So Again,” by Álvaro J. Corral and David Leal. Available here.
• Is America’s Latino vote the “sleeping giant” the media predict it will be every four years? David Leal explains in the Area 45 podcast. Available here.