Latinos lag in civic engagement, including voting, new study says

Latinos continue to lag behind when it comes to civic engagement, including voting, a new study reveals.

Two professors from University of California, Berkeley and San Jose State University said the results of their study needs an immediate response. The researchers said the apathy is not because Latinos are at home and sitting on their hands -- there are several factors that limit them from getting involved.

"In this particular election, there's a lot of apathy," San Jose State University researcher Dr. Vicky Gomez said.

The headline of too many Latinos sitting on the political sideline is something many community leaders are describing as both eye-opening and deeply troubling.

Researchers said Latinos not only lag behind in voter turnout compared to other groups, but many also do not get involved in neighborhood issues, let alone citywide concerns.

"The research is an eye opener, but not unexpected," Plata Arroyo Neighborhood Association President Danny Garza said.

Garza has been ruffling feathers for years in a push to get more resources into his community.

Researchers also offered some clear reasons why Latinos are sitting on the sidelines. They blame the spread of misinformation, distrust of the electoral process in Latino voters home countries, infighting among Latino communities, and work.

"We have to work," Gomez said. "Work is the most important thing that takes up our time. It's not that we're not civically engaged. It's that oftentimes we don't have the time with everything that we're juggling."

Among the recommendations:

• Get more Latinos into elected office.
• Create a countywide umbrella group where all Latino nonprofits gather with a common cause to address the issues as one.
• Encourage Latinos to register to vote, both with a social media campaign and with a grassroots, door-to-door approach.

Researchers said the efforts have to start now.

"It starts today," Community Health Partnership CEO Dolores Alvarado said. "A group of us at the table during lunch - we're going to sit down and talk about how we can convene the next meeting immediately."

The Community Health Foundation, who asked for the research paid by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, said they will take all the input they are getting from the community, write a final report, and release it with a framework and formal recommendation in a couple of months.