What is the Latino Vote

Today, leaders of both major political parties are concerned with securing the current and future support of the more than 27 million eligible Hispanic voters in the U.S.—the coveted “Latino Vote.” Yet, Latinos live in different parts of the U.S., identify with multiple racial categories, and/or have past and present family members who come from various regions in Latin America and beyond. Given this diversity, is it possible to talk about Latino voters without miscasting them as a monolithic community? And given our current political climate, who benefits and who loses from grouping this diverse population into a single category?

On October 6, the IOP, the Katz Center for Mexican Studies, and the Center for Latin American Studies welcomed a panel of experts to discuss these questions and more: G. Cristina Mora, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of California Berkeley; Geraldo L. Cadava, Associate Professor of History, Northwestern University; Jesús "Chuy" García, Cook County Commissioner, 7th District. The discussion was led by Emilio Kourí, Professor of History, University of Chicago.

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