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| Colorado Latinos come of age: 'Finally, we're getting our voices heard' | Colorado Latinos come of age: 'Finally, we're getting our voices heard' |
| (6 months later) | |
| With more than 50,000 US-born Latinos coming of voting age every month, Hispanic political power is fueled by youth. Especially here in swing-state Colorado, where November's presidential outcome is up for grabs. | With more than 50,000 US-born Latinos coming of voting age every month, Hispanic political power is fueled by youth. Especially here in swing-state Colorado, where November's presidential outcome is up for grabs. |
| Nearly half of Colorado's Latino electorate falls in the 18-to-34 age group, and tapping into the rising power of Latino youth presents both a rich opportunity and a daunting challenge to Democrats, particularly here in the blue-collar city of Pueblo. | Nearly half of Colorado's Latino electorate falls in the 18-to-34 age group, and tapping into the rising power of Latino youth presents both a rich opportunity and a daunting challenge to Democrats, particularly here in the blue-collar city of Pueblo. |
| Apathy runs deep and immigration politics don't play big here because border policies do not directly affect the lives of well over 90% of the local Latino population who were born in America and are thus native US citizens. | Apathy runs deep and immigration politics don't play big here because border policies do not directly affect the lives of well over 90% of the local Latino population who were born in America and are thus native US citizens. |
| Half of Pueblo's 106,595 residents are Hispanic, and this demographic should be ripe for Obama's re-election campaign to target. Yet, the political energy among Latino youth has ebbed since its highwater mark four years ago, professors and students at Colorado State University-Pueblo say. | Half of Pueblo's 106,595 residents are Hispanic, and this demographic should be ripe for Obama's re-election campaign to target. Yet, the political energy among Latino youth has ebbed since its highwater mark four years ago, professors and students at Colorado State University-Pueblo say. |
| "I don't think that we're very political," said Fawn Amber Montoya, the director of the Chicano studies program at CSU-Pueblo, after a long sigh. "Pueblo really is dead when it comes to politics." | "I don't think that we're very political," said Fawn Amber Montoya, the director of the Chicano studies program at CSU-Pueblo, after a long sigh. "Pueblo really is dead when it comes to politics." |
| No one doubts that Obama will, again, win Pueblo County as he did in 2008 with a crushing margin of 15 percentage points. But the question that could spell trouble for the Obama campaign is: how much political energy will the Obama re-election campaign garner from voters in this historic steel-mill city? | No one doubts that Obama will, again, win Pueblo County as he did in 2008 with a crushing margin of 15 percentage points. But the question that could spell trouble for the Obama campaign is: how much political energy will the Obama re-election campaign garner from voters in this historic steel-mill city? |
| Obama campaigned here twice in 2008, winning the state's nine electoral votes with a 9 percentage-point lead over John McCain. But there is a demographic deficit within the Latino community. Though it makes up a half of the overall population, it forms just a third of the 71,552 registered to vote in the town. | Obama campaigned here twice in 2008, winning the state's nine electoral votes with a 9 percentage-point lead over John McCain. But there is a demographic deficit within the Latino community. Though it makes up a half of the overall population, it forms just a third of the 71,552 registered to vote in the town. |
| Statewide, Hispanics make up about one-fifth of the population, and more than 434,000 Hispanics are eligible to vote, said Sindy Benavides of Voto Latino, a non-partisan organization that focuses on Latino civic engagement. | Statewide, Hispanics make up about one-fifth of the population, and more than 434,000 Hispanics are eligible to vote, said Sindy Benavides of Voto Latino, a non-partisan organization that focuses on Latino civic engagement. |
| The Latino population grew at more than twice Colorado's overall growth rate over the past decade. That trend is reflected nationwide, with the Latino youth representing the fastest-growing demographic in the US. More than 17 million Latinos under the age of 18 live in America, according to 2010 Census data, and there are more than 14.5 million young Hispanic eligible voters aged 18 to 34. | The Latino population grew at more than twice Colorado's overall growth rate over the past decade. That trend is reflected nationwide, with the Latino youth representing the fastest-growing demographic in the US. More than 17 million Latinos under the age of 18 live in America, according to 2010 Census data, and there are more than 14.5 million young Hispanic eligible voters aged 18 to 34. |
| In Colorado, there are 295,707 Hispanics between 18 and 34, the age group that Benavides's organization heavily targets. They make up 68% of eligible Hispanic voters in Colorado. Nationwide, 52,000 Hispanics turn 18 each month, and nine out of 10 of them are eligible to vote, Benavides said. | In Colorado, there are 295,707 Hispanics between 18 and 34, the age group that Benavides's organization heavily targets. They make up 68% of eligible Hispanic voters in Colorado. Nationwide, 52,000 Hispanics turn 18 each month, and nine out of 10 of them are eligible to vote, Benavides said. |
| "When you start looking at that number, and you start looking at local state races, and even federal races, and how close some of them have been, then you start seeing why that impact is so great," Benavides said. | "When you start looking at that number, and you start looking at local state races, and even federal races, and how close some of them have been, then you start seeing why that impact is so great," Benavides said. |
| Little wonder, then, that an Obama campaign office re-opened this February, early in the campaign cycle, in Pueblo's downtown, and that in June, Michelle Obama rallied about 1,000 people at the Colorado State Fairgrounds in Pueblo. | Little wonder, then, that an Obama campaign office re-opened this February, early in the campaign cycle, in Pueblo's downtown, and that in June, Michelle Obama rallied about 1,000 people at the Colorado State Fairgrounds in Pueblo. |
| Among Pueblo's population, only 3.8% are foreign-born, far less than the state's 9.8%. Most Latinos here date back here for generations. But many students at the CSU-Pueblo campus are, in fact, first-generation Americans. | Among Pueblo's population, only 3.8% are foreign-born, far less than the state's 9.8%. Most Latinos here date back here for generations. But many students at the CSU-Pueblo campus are, in fact, first-generation Americans. |
| One such student is Perla Ontiveros, 21, who will be a first-time voter in the presidential election. She was formerly the president of the Mexican American student group on campus known as Mecha, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán, which promotes higher education and Latino cultural awareness. | One such student is Perla Ontiveros, 21, who will be a first-time voter in the presidential election. She was formerly the president of the Mexican American student group on campus known as Mecha, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán, which promotes higher education and Latino cultural awareness. |
| She and other Mecha members echoed Montoya's thought that Pueblo is far from buzzing with political energy. When asked if students are politically active on campus, Jeff Bazanele, 23, who graduated in May, said without hesitation, "No. Absolutely not." | She and other Mecha members echoed Montoya's thought that Pueblo is far from buzzing with political energy. When asked if students are politically active on campus, Jeff Bazanele, 23, who graduated in May, said without hesitation, "No. Absolutely not." |
| "Sometimes I refer to my students as being apolitical," said Dave Marquez, a CSU-Pueblo professor of Chicano Studies who is a Pueblo native and an activist from the Chicano movement. He and his wife were also Obama volunteers in 2008. | "Sometimes I refer to my students as being apolitical," said Dave Marquez, a CSU-Pueblo professor of Chicano Studies who is a Pueblo native and an activist from the Chicano movement. He and his wife were also Obama volunteers in 2008. |
| Marquez's face glowed as he reminisced on the faded political energy of the 1970s he says is now missing from Hispanic youth in Pueblo. | Marquez's face glowed as he reminisced on the faded political energy of the 1970s he says is now missing from Hispanic youth in Pueblo. |
| The most recent example he remembers of student political activism was seven years ago, when students mobilized against a professor who was said to be using class time for anti-immigration rants. | The most recent example he remembers of student political activism was seven years ago, when students mobilized against a professor who was said to be using class time for anti-immigration rants. |
| "That was the one time on campus when a lot of the apathy that would discourage me sometimes … we were able to eliminate that and get the whole campus motivated," Marquez said. | "That was the one time on campus when a lot of the apathy that would discourage me sometimes … we were able to eliminate that and get the whole campus motivated," Marquez said. |
| But more recently, the Mecha students said they were "fired up" about a bill which a state senator from Pueblo sponsored that would create a more affordable tuition rate for undocumented students, a sort of modified version of the controversial Dream Act. In April, the bill was rejected for the sixth time by Republicans, who hold a one-seat majority in the Colorado assembly. | But more recently, the Mecha students said they were "fired up" about a bill which a state senator from Pueblo sponsored that would create a more affordable tuition rate for undocumented students, a sort of modified version of the controversial Dream Act. In April, the bill was rejected for the sixth time by Republicans, who hold a one-seat majority in the Colorado assembly. |
| One student who would have benefited from that bill is Diomara Balbuena, 17, of Pueblo. Balbuena, who is a few days shy of voting age, is not a legal citizen nor a legal resident of the US, since her parents brought her from Mexico as a child. She only realised the implications for her during her freshman year of high school. | One student who would have benefited from that bill is Diomara Balbuena, 17, of Pueblo. Balbuena, who is a few days shy of voting age, is not a legal citizen nor a legal resident of the US, since her parents brought her from Mexico as a child. She only realised the implications for her during her freshman year of high school. |
| In a major immigration policy shift on June 15, Obama announced that young undocumented people, like Balbuena, would no longer be deported and could apply for work permits, if they met certain requirements – but citizenship would remain out of reach. | In a major immigration policy shift on June 15, Obama announced that young undocumented people, like Balbuena, would no longer be deported and could apply for work permits, if they met certain requirements – but citizenship would remain out of reach. |
| Because this news is so recent, Balbuena said she didn't apply to college when all her other friends did, even though she graduated high school with good grades. But with Obama's rule change, she now plans to apply for a work permit and a college place. "It makes me really happy. Finally, we're getting our voices heard," Balbuena said after hearing the news. "It's an unexplainable emotion … to know we're not being left alone." | Because this news is so recent, Balbuena said she didn't apply to college when all her other friends did, even though she graduated high school with good grades. But with Obama's rule change, she now plans to apply for a work permit and a college place. "It makes me really happy. Finally, we're getting our voices heard," Balbuena said after hearing the news. "It's an unexplainable emotion … to know we're not being left alone." |
| While Balbuena is an example of a motivated young Hispanic who otherwise would turn out to vote for Obama, she's essentially left without a voice or a vote; but her three younger siblings, all born in the US, will eventually be able to vote, as will many of her fellow Latino friends. | While Balbuena is an example of a motivated young Hispanic who otherwise would turn out to vote for Obama, she's essentially left without a voice or a vote; but her three younger siblings, all born in the US, will eventually be able to vote, as will many of her fellow Latino friends. |
| Obama's bold move on immigration resonated deeply among Latinos in and outside of Colorado. Whatever his motivation, the move was certainly good politics as an election-year ploy to win the crucial Latino vote. | Obama's bold move on immigration resonated deeply among Latinos in and outside of Colorado. Whatever his motivation, the move was certainly good politics as an election-year ploy to win the crucial Latino vote. |
| "I think it's a first step, so I do applaud the president," said senator Angela Giron, a Democrat, who sponsored the immigrant tuition rate bill. | "I think it's a first step, so I do applaud the president," said senator Angela Giron, a Democrat, who sponsored the immigrant tuition rate bill. |
| "He [Obama] is earning the Latino vote," said congressman Dan Pabon, a Democrat from north-west Colorado. "I don't think the president can do much more than he's doing. I think the message is so targeted and so focused." | "He [Obama] is earning the Latino vote," said congressman Dan Pabon, a Democrat from north-west Colorado. "I don't think the president can do much more than he's doing. I think the message is so targeted and so focused." |
| But in Pueblo, Obama's immigration policy shift, while certainly welcome, does not directly affect the lives of 96% of Pueblo's Hispanic population. "As much as immigration reform and what candidates are calling this big Hispanic issue areas in the election this year, I don't think that they're as tangible for the community in Pueblo," said Grace Lopez Ramirez, the Colorado director of Mi Familia Vota, a non-partisan organization that focuses on voter registration. | But in Pueblo, Obama's immigration policy shift, while certainly welcome, does not directly affect the lives of 96% of Pueblo's Hispanic population. "As much as immigration reform and what candidates are calling this big Hispanic issue areas in the election this year, I don't think that they're as tangible for the community in Pueblo," said Grace Lopez Ramirez, the Colorado director of Mi Familia Vota, a non-partisan organization that focuses on voter registration. |
| Any of Colorado's 64 counties has the potential to sway the state in November, but given its large size Pueblo's Hispanic population is particularly well placed to make a strategic difference, said Rick Palacio, the chairman of Colorado's Democratic Party, a Pueblo native who is a sixth-generation Coloradan. | Any of Colorado's 64 counties has the potential to sway the state in November, but given its large size Pueblo's Hispanic population is particularly well placed to make a strategic difference, said Rick Palacio, the chairman of Colorado's Democratic Party, a Pueblo native who is a sixth-generation Coloradan. |
| Half of registered voters in the city of Pueblo are listed as Democrats, according to the Pueblo County Clerk's office. But actual voter turnout is a whole other challenge. | Half of registered voters in the city of Pueblo are listed as Democrats, according to the Pueblo County Clerk's office. But actual voter turnout is a whole other challenge. |
| "There are barriers, [like] apathy among eligible voters," Palacio said. "I think, oftentimes, people don't quite get the benefits to them of participating in our democracy." | "There are barriers, [like] apathy among eligible voters," Palacio said. "I think, oftentimes, people don't quite get the benefits to them of participating in our democracy." |
| Pueblo factbox | Pueblo factbox |
| (All demographic data comes from the 2010 US census. Voting information comes from state and local elections officials.) | (All demographic data comes from the 2010 US census. Voting information comes from state and local elections officials.) |
| Population: 106,595 Hispanic or Latino: 49.8% White: 45.2% Black/African American: 2.1% American Indian/Alaska Native: 0.6% Asian: 0.7% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0.1% Other: 0.2% Mixed race: 1.3% | Population: 106,595 Hispanic or Latino: 49.8% White: 45.2% Black/African American: 2.1% American Indian/Alaska Native: 0.6% Asian: 0.7% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0.1% Other: 0.2% Mixed race: 1.3% |
| Per capita income: $19,620 | Per capita income: $19,620 |
| Voter turnout in 2008*: 44,491 (62.2% of registered voters) Democrat: 25,529 (57.4) Republican: 8,986 (20.2) Unaffiliated: 9,842 (22.1) Other: 134 (0.3) Current Voter registration: (82,017) Democrat: 40,698 (49.6) Republican: 16,275 (19.8) Unaffiliated: 24,570 (30) Other: 474 (0.6) | Voter turnout in 2008*: 44,491 (62.2% of registered voters) Democrat: 25,529 (57.4) Republican: 8,986 (20.2) Unaffiliated: 9,842 (22.1) Other: 134 (0.3) Current Voter registration: (82,017) Democrat: 40,698 (49.6) Republican: 16,275 (19.8) Unaffiliated: 24,570 (30) Other: 474 (0.6) |
| Winner of the 2008 election in Pueblo: Obama Winner of 2008 election in Colorado: Obama | Winner of the 2008 election in Pueblo: Obama Winner of 2008 election in Colorado: Obama |
| * Estimate from Pueblo county clerk's office | * Estimate from Pueblo county clerk's office |
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