Re: <nettime> Latino political influence in the US?

[coco fusco <animas999@yahoo.com>]

As I mentioned in my last message, the US has a history of allowing non-citizens
who are resident aliens to vote in certain elections since the late 19th century.
At present resident aliens vote at the local level in school board elections, for
example. Basically, when it has been advantageous to politicians to include
resident aliens in elections in order to tilt votes one way or another, or to
build a constituency, moves have been made to expand the definition of who can
vote.
 
 In the case of Latinos, many undocumented immigrants have acquired residency
through amnesty, marriage and sponsorship. Still more have relatives in the US who
are citizens, especially their own children. Undocumented immigrants should not be
considered an entirely separate group from the rest of Latinos since statuses do
shift and family members who can vote are often concerned for their interests.
Politicians seen to be sensitive to the situation of the undocumented so well with
the rest of the Latino population, a growing constituency.
 
 Coco




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