VOA标准英语10月-US Hispanic Voters Favor Obama, But Turnout Will

Hispanics compose the fastest-growing ethnic¹ minority in the United States. They number more than 44 million people, but represent only about nine percent of the total electorate². Many Hispanic residents are not U.S. citizens and a large percentage of those who are citizens are younger than the minimum voting age. As VOA's Greg Flakus reports from Houston, Texas, surveys of potential Hispanic voters indicate strong support for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. But the impact of this group will be determined³ by the number of voters who go the polls on November 4.

In heavily Hispanic areas around Houston, the top issues include the economy, health care and immigration. Undocumented workers cannot legally vote and the few who are willing to speak to reporters express little interest in U.S. politics.

But some Hispanics who are citizens are concerned about the status of these illegal immigrants.
　

Sen. Barack Obama, 22 Sept. 2008

MARGIN⁵-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px">One young man says the most important issue is immigration reform because of the difficulties faced by undocumented workers who are part of the Latino community here.

The candidate many Hispanics favor is Barack Obama. However, most Hispanics are very religious and Obama's support for abortion⁴ rights troubles some, like this woman.

"One thing I don't like about Obama is that he is for abortion and stuff like that," she said.

But across the nation, Hispanics are supporting Obama by a nearly two-to-one margin. Republican John McCain is having a hard time selling himself with these voters in spite of his co-sponsorship of an immigration reform bill two years ago that would have offered legal status to hundreds of thousands of undocumented workers.
　

Gabriel Sanchez

Part of the problem, according to University of New Mexico political scientist Gabriel Sanchez, is that McCain responded to critics within his own party by hardening his position on immigration.

"In order to get through in the Republican primaries, he had to change his stance on an issue like immigration," he said. "And, unfortunately, for those Hispanics out there who care about immigration, those folks are moving back towards the Democratic party."

But Sanchez says immigration has taken a back seat to the economy in this election and that there is no single issue that sets Hispanics apart from other voters.

"A lot of people make the assumption that Hispanic voters, nationally or here in New Mexico, vote based on ethnicity and that simply is not the case," he said. "Hispanics are like everybody else out there. They are going to take a look at the issues that are important to them at the time and try to match that up to the candidates' stances on the issues."

But one factor that has limited the impact of the Hispanic vote in past elections is that the number of Hispanics who are eligible⁶ to vote is often much higher than the number who actually turn out at the polls.

In an effort to get out the Latino vote across the country, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials has set up a non-partisan voter information hotline in Los Angeles. People from around the United States can call a special toll-free number and ask questions - in English or Spanish - about matters such as where to register, where to vote and where to get more information on the candidates.
　

Eric Wagner

"The goal here is to help the Latino electorate get the information they need in order to participate on election day," says Eric Wagner, the association's spokesman. He says the Hispanic vote this year will likely exceed nine percent - up from around 8.5 percent four years ago. He says the influence of Hispanic voters in this year's presidential election will be especially evident in key, closely contested states.

"We know that the Latino vote will make the difference in those swing states, particularly in the West, whether in New Mexico, Colorado, Florida," Wagner says. "We know that the Latino vote will decide the election in those key swing states that have traditionally been close, where we have seen a huge spike⁷ in the number of registered Latino voters."

Political experts are closely monitoring the impact of Hispanic voters this year, knowing that the rapid growth of the Hispanic population could increase the political influence of this ethnic group even more in future elections.

1 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

2 electorate   

n.全体选民；选区

参考例句：

• The government was responsible to the electorate.政府对全体选民负责。
• He has the backing of almost a quarter of the electorate.他得到了几乎1/4选民的支持。

3 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

4 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

5 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

6 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

7 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。