Research Shows Latino Votes in Santa Rosa Don't “Count”

SANTA ROSA, Calif. - Feb. 4, 2014 - PRLog -- Latino voters consistently cast ballots for individuals and issues that non-Latino voters -- still a sizeable majority -- do not support, according to a systematic analysis of voting patterns in Santa Rosa sponsored by the local Leadership Institute for Ecology and the Economy.  As a result, Latino interests are not well represented in local government.

The recent report, “Minority Voting Patterns in Santa Rosa, California” by David A. Selby, a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley and Kelly P. Wurtz, a visiting assistant professor at Lehigh University, will be discussed in a presentation on Wednesday, Februrary 5 at 5:30 pm at the Finley Community Center in Santa Rosa. For event details go to http://www.ecoleader.org.


The study analyzed dozens of local elections for both initiatives and individuals and noted a clear difference between the votes cast by Latinos and non-Latinos.  In most elections for local office, candidates supported by the Latino community were elected only if they garnered significant non-Latino support as well.   In most cases candidates and issues receiving majority Latino support did not win.

As noted in similar reports nationally, the Santa Rosa Latino community does not align automatically with either major political party.  Latino voters tend to be more conservative on social issues, such as gay marriage and abortion, than the average voter but are more liberal on issues of economics and government.

According to Executive Director Tanya Narath, this report serves to kick off a new mission for the Leadership Institute, consisting of scientifically supported research on issues of concern to the community.  “Our goal is to answer tough questions and to advance public discussion,” she noted.  In this case, the research demonstrates that for Latino voters to be included in determining policies for their community, we need to change the way they get represented.