Children of immigrants to make impact on
2012 elections
By the year 2012, children of California immigrants will
make up at least 29 percent of all potential voters in the state, significantly
impacting future elections, according to a recent study of California’s
immigrant population.
Grantmakers
Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, a network of foundations focused on
immigration and immigrant integration issues, released
a study April 28 that calculated the state’s total number of naturalized
citizens, eligible-to-naturalize citizens, and children of both populations who
are 12-years-old and older.
According to the study, California is home to 4.2 million
naturalized adult citizens and 2.3 million legal immigrants who are eligible to
be naturalized, and the children of both populations could potentially make up
29 percent of California voters in 2012.
“[Grantmakers] is really
interested in helping communities integrate immigrants into the fold,” said Daranee Petsod, executive
director of grantmakers. “We believe the findings
show that immigrants play a very crucial role in the vitality of our state.”
Integration Potential of California’s Immigrants and
Their Children was prepared by Rob Paral and
Associates, a consulting firm that helps various organizations understand the
populations they serve and the ways in which those populations impact the
organizations’ programs.
“This is a report about the civic potential of immigrants
in California,” said Rob Paral, principal researcher
for the Rob Paral and Associates. “It’s a topic
that’s rarely discussed, even though it’s increasingly important. California,
of course, is the center of immigration in the country that is the center for
legal immigration throughout the world.”
The report’s findings came from the 2006 American
Community Survey, the 2000 Census and data from the U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services.
It is organized both by county and by state Senate and
Assembly districts. It also details country of origin for naturalized and
eligible-to-naturalize citizens.
According to the report, Santa Barbara County has more
than 30,000 naturalized citizens; more than 20,000 citizens eligible to by naturalized; and more than 11,000 children of immigrants
between the ages of 12 and 17-year-old.
Mexicans make up more than 50 percent of the legal
immigrant population in the county, Europeans roughly 20 percent, Asians more
than 17 percent and other immigrants nine percent.
The study also reports that the county has more than
11,000 children between the ages of 12 and 17 years old who will be eligible to
vote by 2012. Latinos make up 80 percent of this population.
Paral
said these demographics are spread throughout both Democratic and Republican
districts, comprising more than one in three voters
democratic districts and one in five in republican districts.
Though the statistics show that California should prepare
for a surge of immigrant voters, there still is the issue of getting those
demographics out to the polls, Paral said.
But Ouber Turnado,
a student at the University of California at Berkeley whose parents are
immigrants, said if the 2008 election was any indication of elections to come,
California can expect to see the grantmakers’
predicted numbers in future election polls.
“This election has been really energetic for me and
a lot of [Latinos],” he said.