The number of immigrants seeking U.S. citizenship, key to voting in the fall elections, is at its highest in four years as Democratic Latino groups step up campaigns to expand the Hispanic vote to help Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The Pew Research Center’s latest survey showed that applications are up five percent over the same period in 2012, when President Obama won reelection.
A boost in immigrants-turned-citizens could have added value for Clinton and Democrats because they vote in higher percentages than U.S.-born Hispanics. According to Pew: “In 2012, naturalized-immigrant Hispanics had a voter turnout rate of 54 percent, compared with a 46 percent turnout rate among U.S.-born Hispanics.”
Democratic leaders and several Latino groups are pushing Hispanics to get citizenship and then register to vote. The effort has even won the backing of former Mexican President Vicente Fox who told Secrets last week, “Count with us, with all Mexicans, to support the Democratic Party because you’ve done much better with us than the Republican Party.”
Only citizens can vote in the presidential election.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
