The Latino Vote: Colorado Latinos Enthusiastic About Presidential Election 2012 (Report)

The latest report released by Latino Decisions revealed that voter enthusiasm by Colorado Latinos is much higher this election year than it was in 2008. According to the new poll by America's Voice/Latino Decisions, 69 percent of Latino voters said they were "very enthusiastic" about voting in the November presidential election.

The results of the September/October 2012 Colorado Latino Voter Survey also found that 23 percent of Latino voters were "somewhat enthusiastic" and that 4 and 3 percent were "not too" or "not at all" enthusiastic. The survey revealed that President Barack Obama has a clear lead over Republican challenger Mitt Romney, with 74 percent support of likely Colorado Latino voters.

According to Latino Decisions, 54 percent of Latino voters said they were more enthusiastic in this election than they were in the 2008 election. Twenty-two percent of voters said their voter enthusiasm had not changed, the poll found.

Since the June Battleground Poll by Latino Decisions, enthusiasm for each question rose almost 10 percentage points for the most enthusiastic responses.

Latinos Decision reported that this rise in enthusiasm might prove to be a significant factor this election race. Latinos nationwide are expected to determine the presidential election in many states.

The report noted that 2012 vs. 2008 enthusiasm among Latino Republicans and Romney supporters was much higher than the enthusiasm among Latino Democrats and Obama supporters. Among Romney's supporters, 83 percent of Latino voters responded that they were more enthusiastic in 2012 than in 2008. On the other hand, among Obama's supporters, only 52 percent of voters responded that they were more enthusiastic this time around.

However, it is important to note that 28 percent of Obama supporters claimed to be just as enthusiastic as in 2008 compared to 0 percent of Romney supporters. Independent voters represented the least enthusiastic group with 44 percent responding that they were more enthusiastic in 2012 and 28 percent responding that they were just as enthusiastic as in 2008.

The data results in the new report weaken the idea that Latino voters in Colorado are "disillusioned and unenthusiastic," Latino Decision stated. According to Latino Decisions, the fact that three-quarters of Latinos reported to be as enthusiastic or more enthusiastic in 2012 is "remarkable...given the high bar set in 2008."

The report added, "while other factors may still dampen turnout among Latinos a bit, the Latino impact on Colorado's presidential election should be of a similar magnitude as in 2008."