Based on surveys of Latinos’ environmental attitudes and concerns, CLCV Education Fund anticipates that engaging California Latinos in the democratic process will likely lead to strong policy gains benefiting the environment, supporting environmental justice and promoting conservation.
In 2001, CLCVEF conducted research and polling with research that indicated Latino voters in California are environmental voters. The research found that non-white voters, and particularly Latino voters, show even higher levels of concern about California’s land, air and water quality than do other voter groups.
For example, California Latinos were more likely than other voters to:
• Rate air and water pollution, soil contamination, and loss of wildlife habitat as “extremely” or “very serious” problems;
• Indicate that the state needs to toughen its environmental laws;
• Endorse conservation as the best solution to the state’s energy crisis;
• Believe that government officials allow low-income and minority communities to bear a disproportionate share of the state’s pollution; and
• Have voted for a political candidate based on his or her support for the environment.
Consider this:
- More than 37% of California’s registered voters participate in elections as Permanent Absentee Voters (PAVs) also known as Permanent Vote-by-Mail voters.
- Election Day turnout by PAVs is consistently and dramatically higher than turnout by traditional poll voters. In the statewide primary in June 2010, PAVs turned out at a rate of 58.12% vs. 21.83% for poll voters – exceeding poll voter turnout by more than two to one.
- Analyses of PAV voting patterns show heightened turnout results among African American, Asian Pacific Islander and Latino PAVs over poll voters of the same ethnicity. For example, Latino PAV turnout was 34.25% vs. 12.89% for traditional poll voters. Statistics demonstrate that increasing PAV registration is a highly effective method of increasing overall voter participation in elections and of boosting minority participation, especially in counties that aggressively recruit PAVs.
- Latinos are the largest minority group in Los Angeles County, comprising more than a third of the county’s population, but the percentage of Latino voters registered as PAV statewide is lower than the general population: 25.43% vs. 37.25%. However, in LA County, home to 36.57% of California’s registered Latino voters, the rate is dramatically lower than the statewide rate – only 8.82% of the County’s 1.2 million Latino voters are registered PAV.
- LA County had the worst turnout among all counties in the state in June 2010 (23.47% vs. 33.31%). By June 2006, after the initial statewide explosion in PAVs, LA County’s portion of the vote dropped below 20% and continues to fall relative to other counties. As PAVs expand elsewhere in California, the LA County portion of the vote shrinks – as does the region’s voice and impact on elections.
Clearly, engaging Latino Voters in LA County with a PAV conversion program has the potential to significantly increase overall voter turnout, further enhancing the environmental community’s ability to pass positive environmental measures or thwart negative propositions on statewide ballots.
