This year, after the decennial census that will confirm the huge growth of America’s Hispanic population, this influence will become both evident and normal in even more parts of the country. Arturo Vargas, the executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), reckons that during the last census about 1m Latinos were left out of the statistics because “if you live in a garage or on somebody’s couch”, as many Latinos do, it is easy not to be counted. This time there is a concerted effort to change that. And if the Census Bureau’s estimates are corroborated, almost 16% of America’s population will be shown to be Hispanic (since the label refers to ethnicity rather than race, anybody who considers himself Hispanic is deemed to be so). That will compare with 13.4% for blacks, according to the estimate.

The result of a more accurate count, according to the article, will be more Latino politicians and officials, and more representatives in Congress who represent this constituency. And they will be increasingly important in future elections, where pastor Samuel Rodriguez predicts they will be “the centrepiece of the election, the kingmakers...They will be able to tilt the electoral balance and turn many red—or, conceivably, blue—states purple. That is because Latinos are the quintessential independents."

According to the article: 

Latinos tend to place faith and family at the centre of their lives, and are thus naturally conservative on many social issues, from gay marriage to abortion, says Mr Rodriguez. But the same values also incline them, in contrast to, say, white evangelicals, to communitarian economic policies usually considered liberal (by the American definition of that word).

In other words, neither Democrats not Republicans can rest on their laurels. Instead, they will have to make a concerted and continuous effort to win over this crucial voting block. This is, in my opinion, excellent news.

The Huffington Post also detailed why counting Latinos matters in communities big and small across America. With the 2010 Census right around the corner, author Josh Norek argues that it’s in everyone’s best interest to ensure an accurate count. The entire piece deserves a read, but especially Norek’s wise conclusion about why Latinos need to be accounted for accurately this March:

Census data is used to distribute $400 billion of government money to communities for schools, hospitals, transportation and programs such as job training...It is estimated that for every person not counted by the Census, their local community will lose $10,000 in federal funding over ten years...

In times like these, it doesn’t make sense to leave money on the table. Immigrants contribute to this country - and the towns and cities they reside in deserve their fair share of funding. When immigrants fill out the Census form, it helps cities and towns fight for their fair share of government money to fix roads, maintain schools and improve hospitals. Regardless of one’s stance on immigration, it is in the interest of all Americans to make sure that immigrants participate in the 2010 Census. If the federal government doesn’t have an accurate count of how many people reside in each city or town, public services will remain under-funded and over-stressed at the local level; Census data - which is relied upon by government agencies - cannot reflect the true population of a community when its residents are not being counted.

Read more about  Latinos immigrants and the Census here.