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(EMAILWIRE.COM, August 15, 2008 ) Sacramento, California - Every week we get a new poll that says Latinos support Senator Barrack Obama over Senator John McCain. Yet, when I ask my politically active Latino family and friends, who they would vote for, they say either not sure or for McCain.
So, why are all these early election polls so important? And, how do we know they are asking the right question?
Polls are done early in a campaign to sway voters toward a particular issue or candidate. ItÂ’s a good strategy, but IÂ’m not so sure it necessarily works with Latinos. The last time I got polled was this past primary where I was asked who would I vote from a list of names the pollster gave me and I them who I would vote for from their list. But, come election day, I voted for somebody else not part of that list. Which leads me to believe there are other Latinos out there who, like me, provide an answer to pollsters and yet do something totally different come election time.
But, had pollsters asked a more direct question, instead of a hypothetical, I would tell them the truth.
To test my suspicions I polled ten family members asking them who exactly will they vote for President come this November election. My results were 70 percent for McCain and 30 percent for Clinton. Of those I polled, three are registered “decline to state,” five are registered Democrats, and two are registered Republican. But, why would anyone pick Senator Hillary Clinton?
So, I asked a follow up question: Why Clinton, knowing she is no longer actively running for President? The responses included: 1) SheÂ’s a real leader and a woman; 2) They would trust her over Obama to address the nationÂ’s economic problems; and 3) Clinton has only suspended her election campaign. Could this be what Latinos across the nation are actually thinking?
Well, although my survey wasnÂ’t scientific, it is still a poll that says Obama does not have Latinos in hand. And, if I were ObamaÂ’s political strategist I would be concerned, because if my poll is accurate, McCain will be our next President.
Adrian Perez is the Publisher of the Latino Journal, the nationÂ’s only publication dedicated to public policy and government from a Latino perspective.
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