Panel Explores Latino Voters and the Politics of Immigration

In key swing states like Florida and at the national level, Latino and new-citizen voters are changing politics. While these voters care about the same issues as all Americans, they have a unique and personal connection to the immigration debate that often shapes their political views.

On Thursday, October 4 from 5 to 7 p.m., pollsters, political analysts, and community leaders will discuss the politics of immigration and the Latino vote in an event held at the University of Miami’s College of Arts and Sciences Gallery. There, UM Professor Casey Klofstad will release fresh polling of Latino voters in Florida, and a diverse panel of experts will analyze the findings and assess the way the presidential, Senate, and House candidates have handled the immigration issue during their campaigns.

Can Mitt Romney meet his campaign’s ambitious goal of 38 percent of the Latino vote in Florida and nationwide? Can President Barack Obama build a strong enough case about his immigration record to energize and mobilize the Latino and immigrant community here and across the country? These and other questions will be probed by a range of experts.

Panelists will include Marc Caputo, Miami Herald reporter; Darío Moreno, political science professor at Florida International University; Gaby Pacheco, political director of United We Dream; Frank Sharry, executive director of America’s Voice; and Jonathan Rodrigues, organizer, Florida New Majority.

The event will be streamed live. For more information or to RSVP for the event, please email ptobar@americasvoiceonline.org.

October 2, 2012