Bilingual advertisements. Bilingual advertisements are particularly useful in mobilizing and attracting immigrants, as many of them do not speak English, especially those from Spanish speaking countries. Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act is a piece of legislation that most immigrants, perhaps even most Americans, are unfamiliar with. It states that if over five percent (or 200,000 persons) in a political subdivision are a minority language group, then election materials in their native language, as well as oral assistance, must legally be provided to them (“Minority Language Citizens”). If voting eligible immigrants were aware of this fact, then voting rates among them could potentially skyrocket. In fact, D.J. Hopkins (2011), Associate
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Finally, immigrant turnout increased in the elections of 2008 and 2012 as a response to the increasing diversity of the candidates. The 2008 election featured an African American and a woman vying for the Democratic nomination and contained the most racially diverse electorate in U.S. history (Lopez & Taylor, 2009). Immigrants and minorities showed more interest in these elections because they could relate to the candidates more than they could in previous years. Hispanic voter turnout increased from 47% in 2004 to 50% in 2008 (Rocha, Tolbert, Bowen, & Clark, 2010), while Asian turnout increased from 45% in 2004 to 47% in 2008 (Lopez & Taylor, 2009). Obama appealed to middle-class voters in 2012 because Romney came from a very wealthy background and was not relatable to these voters (Kernell et al., 2016, p. 462). This effect was amplified among immigrants since most of them are lower or middle class, causing them to vote for Obama. Rocha et al. (2010) also found that minorities are more likely to participate politically if their local and state legislatures contain minorities, so increasing diversity at the local level may also contribute to increased turnout at the national level among …show more content…
has grown so large and is beginning to pose a safety threat. As of January 2012, there were an estimated 11.4 million illegal immigrants residing in the United States (Zong & Batalova, 2015). Although the debate over immigration incenses some people and can potentially offend immigrants, it has actually been shown that coverage and exposure to immigration news in the media increases political participation among non-Caucasians. Two surveys performed in 2007 and 2008 by Merolla et al. (2013) of diverse ethnic groups in California showed strong political mobilization, especially among Latinos, with media coverage of immigration. Mobilization among Asians was weaker, but still present. An experimental group of respondents was exposed to a news article regarding immigration; both the control and experimental groups were then given the opportunity to fill out a postcard to a California senator with a pro-immigration or anti-immigration message. 64.7% of Latinos in the control group (who did not read the immigration article) filled out the postcard, while 86.5% of the experimental group filled out the postcard. So while coverage of immigration in the media and by presidential campaigns may repel immigrants from certain candidates, it ultimately results in higher
Finally, immigrant turnout increased in the elections of 2008 and 2012 as a response to the increasing diversity of the candidates. The 2008 election featured an African American and a woman vying for the Democratic nomination and contained the most racially diverse electorate in U.S. history (Lopez & Taylor, 2009). Immigrants and minorities showed more interest in these elections because they could relate to the candidates more than they could in previous years. Hispanic voter turnout increased from 47% in 2004 to 50% in 2008 (Rocha, Tolbert, Bowen, & Clark, 2010), while Asian turnout increased from 45% in 2004 to 47% in 2008 (Lopez & Taylor, 2009). Obama appealed to middle-class voters in 2012 because Romney came from a very wealthy background and was not relatable to these voters (Kernell et al., 2016, p. 462). This effect was amplified among immigrants since most of them are lower or middle class, causing them to vote for Obama. Rocha et al. (2010) also found that minorities are more likely to participate politically if their local and state legislatures contain minorities, so increasing diversity at the local level may also contribute to increased turnout at the national level among …show more content…
has grown so large and is beginning to pose a safety threat. As of January 2012, there were an estimated 11.4 million illegal immigrants residing in the United States (Zong & Batalova, 2015). Although the debate over immigration incenses some people and can potentially offend immigrants, it has actually been shown that coverage and exposure to immigration news in the media increases political participation among non-Caucasians. Two surveys performed in 2007 and 2008 by Merolla et al. (2013) of diverse ethnic groups in California showed strong political mobilization, especially among Latinos, with media coverage of immigration. Mobilization among Asians was weaker, but still present. An experimental group of respondents was exposed to a news article regarding immigration; both the control and experimental groups were then given the opportunity to fill out a postcard to a California senator with a pro-immigration or anti-immigration message. 64.7% of Latinos in the control group (who did not read the immigration article) filled out the postcard, while 86.5% of the experimental group filled out the postcard. So while coverage of immigration in the media and by presidential campaigns may repel immigrants from certain candidates, it ultimately results in higher