Latino Voters in the United States: Mobilization and Mechanisms of Engagement Through Political Parties, Campaign Contact and Non-Partisan Organizations

<p>This study investigates the low political participation of Latinos in the United States, focusing on the strategies used by political parties, campaigns and non-partisan organization to increase voter turnout, as well as the mechanisms through which these strategies affect voting behavior. Current theories of political mobilization provide a solid foundation; however, it is crucial to understand the mechanisms that drive mobilization within the Latino electorate. Through quantitative analysis using multivariate regression on data from the 2020 presidential election, I investigate the relationship between party and campaign contact on individual voting behavior. Additionally, elite interviews conducted with key stakeholders, including community leaders, I explore the role of non-partisan community organizations in addressing the mobilization gap. I find that while party and campaign mobilization efforts are effective in increasing voter turnout among the Latino population, the specific types of contact made by non-partisan community organizations and cultural groups are also significant. I explore mechanisms such as access to information, political efficacy, group identity and civic duty, examining their roles in mobilization and their impact on voter turnout. I find that contact with partisan organizations, influences voter behavior by increasing information and knowledge, as well as enhancing a sense of political efficacy and civic duty, rather than through group identity. Additionally, contact with cultural non-partisan organizations is impactful; it increases knowledge and enhances political efficacy and group identity while civic duty plays a lesser role.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Political Science, PhD

Level thesis:degree_level

Open Access Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

School of Social Science, Politics, and Evaluation

Year dc:date.available

2025

Author dc:creator

• Mendoza, Adriana M.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Adrian Pantoja

• Elite interviews
• Latino political participation
• Non-partisan mobilization
• Non-profit mobilization
• Partisan mobilization
• Voting Mechanisms
• Political Science

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/1076

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarship.claremont.edu:cgu_etd-2103