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 Post subject: Immigrant voters could swing 8 Illinois races
PostPosted: Tue Oct 28, 2008 9:41 am 
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Let's hope they're all naturalized citizens and entitled to vote!

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... 8556.story

Report: Immigrant voters could swing 8 Ill. races

By SOPHIA TAREEN | Associated Press Writer
6:25 PM CDT, October 23, 2008
CHICAGO - Immigrants could be a deciding voting bloc in at least eight Illinois congressional races where they make up more than 12 percent of the population, according to a report released Thursday by an advocacy group.

Among the tightest races mentioned by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights is the 10th District, where Democrat Dan Seals is challenging Republican Rep. Mark Kirk. Experts say the longtime GOP district, which covers portions of Lake and Cook counties, could be trending Democratic based on recent presidential elections.

About 19 percent of the 10th District's population is made up of foreign-born residents who are now U.S. citizens and at least 18 years old, making them eligible to vote, the report says. The group did not know how many of those individuals are registered to vote on Nov. 4.

Foreign-born U.S. citizens make up nearly 9 percent of about 8.8 million adult U.S. citizens living in Illinois. The number of has grown at least 30 percent in eight years, to 755,000 last year from about 580,000 in 2000, according to the report which used U.S. Census data and voter registrations.
"The demographics in the collar counties are changing and those shifts could have the strong potential for changes in the political scene," said Fred Tsao, a director with the coalition who helped write the report.

The report does not break down registered immigrant voters by ethnicity or country of origin. But nearly half of all immigrants in Illinois are from Mexico.

As a voting bloc Hispanics, who may or may not be immigrants, have traditionally leaned Democratic. But Republicans have also appealed to the group in areas including faith. Many use a candidate's stance, or party's stance, on Immigration as a major factor when voting.

"Neither one of the parties has touched on the issues of Immigration, it's such a hot potato," said Jorge Mujica, a spokesman for the March 10 Coalition, which organized massive immigrant rallies in Chicago.

The rallies, which began in 2006 when more than a million people marched in cities nationwide, were organized in response to proposed legislation sponsored by U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., that would have made being an illegal immigrant in the U.S. a felony.

The attempt was unsuccessful, but Mujica says many still harbor resentment that is evident in communities with large immigrant populations.

For instance, the 10th District includes the suburban Chicago community of Waukegan, where a third of the nearly 89,000 residents are foreign-born. Tensions mounted and protests were held late last year after city officials applied for the so-called 287(g) federal program, which trains local police to help enforce Immigration laws.

"As more immigrants realize the stake they have in federal and state policies that affect their lives and their families, the numbers of foreign-born citizens will surely continue to increase," the report states. "As these immigrants naturalize and register to vote, they will increasingly become a force that candidates and elected officials of both parties must reckon with."

The coalition says it is not partisan, but does endorse Immigration reform and has concentrated efforts on encouraging voters to come to the polls in several districts, including the 10th.

Kirk spokesman Eric Elk said increased voter registration has helped the campaign. The Republican incumbent voted for a border fence and increased security and technology.

"Increased voter registration among Latino, Russian and Korean-American communities is extremely helpful to our campaign," Elk said in an e-mail that also touted Kirk's ability to speak Spanish and his efforts to reunited divided Korean families.

Seals did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Democrat supports increased border patrol and a plan to offer the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. pathways to legal status, pending a criminal background check, proof of financial independence and payment of a fine.

This year at least 51,000 immigrants have registered to vote across Illinois, according to the coalition and the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute. Both organizations led statewide registration drives.

More immigrants may have registered by mail or at state offices.


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