Washington, DC 

For more than a year, the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) and others have said that the Hispanic vote would be the one to watch out for in the 2012 election.  This was resoundingly confirmed by the results of last night’s election.  According to an election eve poll conducted by ImpreMedia/Latino Decisions, the level of support for President Barack Obama among Latino voters was at near historic levels.  And with significant Latino presence in states such as Florida, Virginia, Colorado, and Nevada, among others, there is no question that the Hispanic vote contributed mightily to President’s razor-thin margin of victory in each of those states.   “We are very proud of our community tonight.  Latino voters came out in large numbers – perhaps surpassing 10% of the electorate for the first time in history according to CNN Exit polls -- because they care deeply about the future of this country.  They want to see our economy and opportunity expand, and the American dream available for all.  And they clearly want to see the immigration issue resolved,” stated Janet Murguia.   “In one of the closest presidential election in years, the battle for the Latino vote was no contest at all.  There is no doubt from our own poll results that the President’s positions on the issues, and in particular his landmark decision this summer to grant deferred action to DREAM Act students, more closely mirrored the Latino electorate and were among the key reasons for the President’s historic showing among our community,” stated Janet Murguia, NCLR President.    “But it is also true that the Republican Party and the Romney campaign failed to compete for our vote and they paid the price for it.  Our community was clearly engaged in this election – NCLR itself surpassed our own goal and registered nearly 95,000 new voters.  The community also clearly recognized that there was no Latino-focused Republican strategy and even more damaging, they were fully aware that candidate Romney has embraced ‘self-deportation’ as an immigration strategy, touted Kris Kobach as his immigration guru, and at one point promised to veto the DREAM Act,” continued Murguia.   “In their post-mortem of the election, the Republican party needs to do some soul searching when it comes to the Latino community.  NCLR firmly believes it is in our community’s best interests to have both parties actively and vigorously campaigning for our vote.  And frankly, it is the party’s best interests as well.  As this election demonstrated, in 2012, communities of color, young people, and women are not merely interest groups, they’re the ‘new normal’ demographic of the American electorate.  And with nearly a million Latinos turning 18 every year for the foreseeable future, the Hispanic vote is now a fixture of American politics,” noted Murguia.   “We are optimistic that we can and must come together to address our country’s continuing challenges because this election also revealed much common ground among American voters.  The economy is the overwhelming concern of nearly every voter and education and health care remain high priorities.  And finally, we agree with the voices in the Republican party who are saying that immigration needs to stop being a negative wedge issue for candidates and that the party should focus instead on a common-sense solution to our broken immigration system.  Latinos are ready to step up and work with Congress and the Administration as soon as they reconvene to address these urgent concerns,” concluded Murguia.      

Youth Vote, Strongly for Obama, Determines Outcome in Key Battleground States of PA, VA, FL, and OH

Medford/Somerville, Mass. 

The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) - the preeminent youth research organization at Tufts University - this morning released an exclusive turnout estimate showing that 22-23 million young Americans (ages 18-29), or at least 49%, voted in Tuesday’s presidential election, according to national exit polls, demographic data, and current counts of votes cast.  In Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia, if Romney had won half the youth vote, or if young people had stayed home all together, he would have won those key battleground states.  A switch of those 80 electoral votes would have also changed the presidency, electing Romney as president.  To see more on this analysis, please visit: http://www.civicyouth.org/?p=4905. Young people represented 19% of the voters in yesterday’s election, with President Obama winning the majority of those votes over Governor Romney by 60% to 37%, according to the early released NEP.  “Confounding almost all predictions, the youth vote held up in 2012 and yet again was the deciding factor in determining which candidate was elected President of the United States,” said CIRCLE director Peter Levine. “Young people are energized and committed voters. Youth turnout of around 50% is the ‘new normal’ for presidential elections. Considering that there are 46 million people between 18 and 29, this level of turnout makes them an essential political bloc. Right now, they form a key part of the Democrats’ national coalition. Republicans must find a way to compete for their votes.” According to CIRCLE’s exclusive estimate, youth voter turnout was at least 49.3%, based on data from about 97% of precincts that have fully reported their votes as of Wednesday morning. Youth turnout may reach 51% when the remaining 3% of precincts report. The minimum CIRCLE estimated at the same point in time in 2008 was 48.3%, but our 2008 estimate rose to 52% as more precincts reported. That means that 2004, 2008, and 2012 have been three strong elections in a row  for youth, with turnout in the vicinity of 50% each time, compared to just 37% in 1996 and 41% in 2000.  These estimates are subject to change, because in several states, less than 95% of precincts are reporting. Also, in some past years, the National Exit Polls (NEP), conducted by Edison Research, have adjusted their statistics in the first few days after an election. CIRCLE estimates youth voting after elections based on several variables, including the total number of ballots counted and the exit polls. These variables are subject to change in the hours and days after an election.  Young voters favored Obama by a 24-point margin. The average gap from 1976 through 2004 was only about two percentage points, as young voters basically supported the same candidate as older voters in most elections. “Turnout” means the percentage of eligible citizens who voted, and youth voter turnout is the percentage of eligible 18-29 year olds who voted. CIRCLE’s final estimate will be based on the National Exit Polls conducted by Edison/Mitofsky, the number of ballots cast in the United States (aggregated from data provided by local election officials), and current Census data on the number of young citizens in the United States. CIRCLE has used precisely the same method to estimate youth turnout after previous elections since 1996. Using this consistent method, we estimate a historical trend that can be seen here:  http://www.civicyouth.org/wpcontent/uploads/2012/11/2012exitpoll.jpg There is no official count of voters by age nationally immediately after the election. Therefore, any statistic on youth voter turnout is an estimate based on survey data. Like any survey, the National Exit Polls use methods that may introduce sampling bias. However, our estimates of youth turnout from the National Exit Polls (shown above) have produced a trend that closely tracks the trend in the Census Current Population Survey (CPS), which is the other reliable source for estimating youth turnout. CPS voting data for 2012 will not be available until spring 2013. Until then, our method produces the only reliable estimate of youth turnout.

(StatePoint)

From economic uncertainty, to random acts of violence, to divisive politics -- modern society has its pitfalls. And if the headlines have you down, you’re not alone. According to a recent Gallup study, three-quarters of the population is dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States at this time. But some experts believe that by simply putting things into perspective, we can avoid feeling overwhelmed by the realities of today. “What’s going on now isn’t anything new,” says Michael R. Drew, co-author of “Pendulum: How Past Generations Shape Our Present and Predict Our Future.” “It's history repeated, through the cycles of social shifts.” In “Pendulum,” Drew, along with co-author Roy H. Williams, draw upon historical events to show how western society goes through predictable 40-year shifts, swinging from an idealist “me” system of values, to a civic or “we” way of thinking. As we approach 2013, they say, we will embark on the upswing of a “we” era, characterized by divisiveness and destructive historical events.

However, there are ways to help ease stress about some of today’s issues and problems and those we are likely to encounter in the near future:

• Don’t be jaded by current political name-calling and divisiveness. It’s an American tradition. Even our beloved Founding Fathers were not above getting down in the mud. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams conducted a particularly nasty campaign against one another that would be considered even more beyond the pale than what we read in blogs, hear on radio and see in advertising.

• You don’t need to immerse yourself in the 24-hour news cycle to be an informed citizen. Reading the newspaper, watching TV news, listening to the radio and checking out online news sites and social media services are an important part of staying connected to the world, but should be done in moderation. By taking a bit of time away from incendiary cable news shows and logging off social media periodically, you can give yourself time to think and reflect, focusing your energy on positive things. For media-junkies who can’t fathom disconnecting even temporarily, consider adding some alternative news sources to your mix, such as www.happynews.com, which supplies a dose of something different than anxiety-inducing content.

• Politics, manners, humor, sexuality, wealth -- even our definitions of success -- are periodically renegotiated based on whatever new values society judges acceptable. If you feel out of your element, simply give it some time and society will swing back toward your way of thinking eventually.

• We're living in an age when more and more of us will be defined by what we are not, rather than what we are -- and what we stand against rather than what unites us. Fight against the divisiveness this creates by striving to be inclusive rather than exclusive. For more insights, visit www.ThePendulumBook.com. Rather than feeling oppressed by current events, you can gain a new perspective by riding the waves of our ever evolving society.