CENSUS FINDS MARKED UPTURN IN LATINO VOTE STATE, NATIONAL TRENDS CITED.Byline: Bill Hillburg Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - The number of Latino voters in California and nationwide surged in the 2000 presidential election, but the turnout percentage among eligible Latinos remained unchanged from 1996, the Census Bureau Noun 1. Census Bureau - the bureau of the Commerce Department responsible for taking the census; provides demographic information and analyses about the population of the United States Bureau of the Census reported today. Also, overall voter VOTER. One entitled to a vote; an elector. turnout in California declined in 2000 due to a large percentage of adult noncitizens who were ineligible in·el·i·gi·ble adj. 1. Disqualified by law, rule, or provision: ineligible to run for office; ineligible for health benefits. 2. to cast ballots. The number of Latino voters rose nationwide from 4.9 million in 1996 to more than 5.9 million in 2000, and increased from 1.3 million to 1.6 million in California. However, turnout among registered Latinos remained at 28 percent nationwide and 25 percent in California. ``Were seeing an ongoing and dramatic change,'' said Harry Pachon, president of the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute, a Claremont-based think tank. ``The number of Latino voters continues to increase from two major streams - new citizens and young people reaching voting age.'' Pachon predicted an increase in California's Latino voter turnout, citing an influx of young voters who were energized by student activism Student activism is work done by students to effect political, environmental, economic, or social change. It has often focused on making changes in schools, such as increasing student influence over curriculum or improving educational funding. in the 1990s against former Gov. Pete Wilson's stance to bar public services Public services is a term usually used to mean services provided by government to its citizens, either directly (through the public sector) or by financing private provision of services. for undocumented immigrants. The Census Bureau found that California's total white vote declined from 9.4 million in 1996 to 8.1 million in 2000. The number of African-American voters in the state rose from 770,000 to 867,000. The report also found that the number of Asian and Pacific Islander Pacific Islander n. 1. A native or inhabitant of any of the Polynesian, Micronesian, or Melanesian islands of Oceania. 2. A person of Polynesian, Micronesian, or Melanesian descent. See Usage Note at Asian. adults voting nationwide in 2000 rose by 20 percent over 1996 levels. The 2000 total included 848,000 Californians. State totals on Asian and Pacific Islander voters were not compiled by the Census in 1996. The bureau found that 56 percent of California adults who were citizens cast ballots in 2000. But when noncitizen adults were factored in, the percentage of all adults voting fell to 46.4 percent, compared with 48.4 percent in 1996. In 2000, nearly 20 percent of California adults were noncitizens, the highest percentage in the nation. Noncitizens made up only 8 percent of total U.S. voting age population. African-Americans increased their national voting rate to 57 percent, up 4 percent from 1996 levels, while the white voting rate rose 1 percent to 62 percent. Among citizens of voting age, the District of Columbia District of Columbia, federal district (2000 pop. 572,059, a 5.7% decrease in population since the 1990 census), 69 sq mi (179 sq km), on the east bank of the Potomac River, coextensive with the city of Washington, D.C. (the capital of the United States). boasted the nation's highest turnout in 2000 at 73 percent. California ranked 37th out of 50 states and D.C. Hawaii had the nation's worst turnout rate at 44 percent. Amie Jamieson, a Census Bureau demographer de·mog·ra·phy n. The study of the characteristics of human populations, such as size, growth, density, distribution, and vital statistics. [French démographie : Greek and one of the authors of the study, cited a dramatic increase in voting nationwide among registered adults. The turnout increased from an all-time low of 82 percent in 1996 to 86 percent in 2000. ``Most people who are registered to vote actually vote,'' she said. |
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