New York City Latino Voter Forums Reveal Poor Quality Candidate Outreach

A report released today by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund shows significant disappointment among Latino voters of the quality and amount of candidate outreach to the Latino community in the run-up to the 2009 Municipal Primary election. The analysis is the result of a series of small forums in each of the five boroughs held in late July with 102 randomly selected Latino voters.

Participants in the forums also highlighted the extreme challenge of finding affordable housing throughout New York City, particularly in the midst of a severe economic downturn and rising unemployment, citing poor city planning as the cause. In all boroughs, participants highlighted an ongoing need to improve the city’s public schooling, and invest more resources into community infrastructure such as green space and development.

Despite criticism and concern, the Latino voters participating in the forum series expressed hope for the future of New York City, and the future of its Latino residents. They also expressed great enthusiasm about participating in the upcoming elections, and for greater Latino participation in New York City elections.

The full report is available online at: www.naleo.org/downloads/NALEO_NYC_VoterForums_lo-res.pdf

About NALEO Educational Fund:
The NALEO Educational Fund is the nation’s leading non-partisan, non-profit organization that facilitates full Latino participation in the American political process, from citizenship to public service.”

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