Citizens by Choice,Voters by Necessity: Patterns in Political Mobilization by Naturalized Latinos

Abstract

In this article, we compare the 1996 turnout among cohorts of naturalized and native-born Latino citizens, looking for between-group differences endogenous to recent anti-immigrant rhetoric and events in California. We argue that immigrants naturalizing in a politically charged environment represent a self-selected subsample of all voters, identifying individuals who feel strohgly about the political issues at hand, and who seek enfranchisement as an act of political expression. We suggest that newly naturalized citizens living in California made exactly these choices, which differentiate them from native-born citizens, longer-term naturalized citizens, and Latinos in other states. Using the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute's 1997 three-state survey of citizen attitudes, validated using original registrars-of-voters data, we estimate multivariate logit models of individual turnout of Latino citizens in each state for the 1996 national election. The data support our hypotheses. Newly naturalized Latinos in California behave differently from other Latino citizens of California, and the patterns of difference are not replicated in either Florida or Texas. Turnout was higher among those who naturalized in the politically hostile climate of California in the early 1990s. Our results suggest important political effects of wedge-issue politics that target Latino immigrants.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Allen, Oliver E. 1993. The Tiger: The Rise and Fall of Tammany Hall New York: Addison-Wesley.

Barreto, Matt A. , and Nathan D.Woods . 2000. Voting Patterns and the Dramatic Growth of the Latino Electorate in Los Angeles County, 1994-1998. Claremont, CA: Tomas Rivera Policy Institute.

Calvo, M.. A. ., and S. J. Rosenstone , 1989. Hispanic Political Participation Latino Electorates Series. San Antonio, TX: Southwest Voter Research Institute.

Casper, Lynne M. , and Loretta E. Bass . 1996. “Voting and Registration in the Election of November, 1996.” Current Population Reports, Series P-20, Current Populaton Survey Washington, DC: Bureau of the Census.

DeSipio, Louis . 1996a. Counting on the Latino Vote: Latinos as a New Electorate Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press.

DeSipio, Louis . 1996b. “Making Good Citizens or Good Citizens? Naturalization as a Predictor of Organizational and Electoral behavior Among Latino Immigrants” Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences 18 (May): 194-213.

Garcia, John A. 1997. “Political Participation: Resources and Involvement among Latinos in the American Political System.” In E Chris Garcia , ed., Pursuing Power: Latinos and the Political System. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press.

Hadly, Scott . 1995. “Residents Become Citizens by the Busload, Now Wield Votes;” Los Angeles Times, July 14, Metro B, pg. 1-1.

Handlin, Oscar . 1941. Boston's Immigrants Boston, MA: The Belknap Division of Harvard University Press.

10.

Hero, Rodney . 1992. Latinos and the U.S. Political System Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.

11.

Immigration and Naturalization Service Statistical Yearbook(s).

12.

Jacobs, John . 1995. “Will Political Attacks Drive Latinos To The Polls?” San Diego Union Tribune, March 30, B-9.

13.

Krase, Jerome , and Charles LaCerra . 1991. Ethnicity and Machine Politics Lanham, MD: University Press of America.

14.

Latino Issues Forum . 1998. The Latino Vote 1998. May

15.

Marinucci, Carla . 2000. “New Voters in State are Mostly Latino, Poll Documents Surge-Democrats Benefit.” San Francisco Chronicle, May 1, 2000.

16.

Moreno, Dario . 1997. “The Cuban Model: Political Empowerment in Miami.” In F Chris Garcia, F ed., Pursuing Power: Latinos and the Political System. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press.

17.

Myers, Gustavus . 1917. The History of Tammany Hall. New York: Boni and Liveright.

18.

Pachon, Harry 1991. “U.S. Citizenship and Latino Participation in California Politics.” In Bryan O. Jackson and Michael B. Prestson , eds., Racial and Ethnic Politics in California. California: Institute of Governmental Studies.

19.

Pantoja, Adrian D. , and Nathan D. Woods . 1999. “Turning Out the Latino Vote in Los Angeles County: Did Interest Group Efforts Matter?” American Review of Politics 20: 141-162.

20.

Pyle, Amy , Patrick McDonnel , and Hector Tobar . 1998. “Latino Voter Participation Doubled Since '94 Primary” Los Angeles Times, June 4, Part A, pg. 1-1.

21.

Radcliff, Benjamin , and Martin Saiz . 1995. “Race, Turnout, and Public Policy in the American States”. Political Research Quarterly 48: 775-793.

22.

Segura, Gary M. , Denis Falcon , and Harry Pachon . 1997. “Dynamics of Latino Partisanship in California: Immigration, Issue Salience, and Their Implications” Harvard Journal of Hispanic Policy 10: 62-80.

23.

Scott, Steve . 2000. “Competing for the new majority vote” California Journal January

24.

Shaw, Daron , Rodolfo de la Garza , and Jongho Lee . 2000. “Examining Latino Turnout in 1996: A Three-State, Validate Survey Approach”. American Journal of Political Science 44: 338-346.

25.

Sowell, Thomas . 1981. Ethnic Amenica. New York: Basic Books.

26.

Tajfel, Henri . 1982. “Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations”. Annual Review of Psychology 33: 1-39.

27.

Tobar, Hector . 1998. “In Contests Big and Small, Latinos take Historic Leap.” Los Angeles Times, November 5.

28.

Tomas Rivera Policy Institute , 1996 Survey of Latinos in California.

29.

Turner, John C. 1982. “Towards a Cognitive Redefinition of the Social Group.” In Henri Tajfel , ed., Social Identity and Intergroup Relations. New York: Cambridge University Press.

30.

Uhlaner, Carol, J. 1989. “Rational Turnout: The Role of Neglected Groups”. AmericanJournal of Political Science 33 (May): 390-422.

31.

Uhlaner, Carol, J. 1996. “Latinos and Ethnic Politics in California: Participation and Preferences.” In Anibal Yanez-Chavez , ed., Latino Politics in California. Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, San Diego, CA: University of San Diego.

32.

US Bureau of the Census. 1990.