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Gore Wins Latino Vote in Texas
George W. Bush sets record support for a Non-Latino candidate in Texas

San Antonio, TX - An exit survey of 957 Latino voters conducted by the William C. Velásquez Institute (WCVI) throughout the state of Texas revealed that presidential preference was 67.9% for Al Gore/Joseph Lieberman and 32.1% for George W. Bush/Dick Cheney. This total is far short of the majority support for Bush predicted by many observers. Nevertheless, 32 share is the largest percentage of the Latino vote ever garnered by a non-Latino Republican candidate in a presidential campaign, according to exit polls done by WCVI since 1984, and nearly double the support Bob Dole received in the '96 campaign, 15.4%.

The increased support for George W. Bush did not translate into a substantial increase in support for congressional candidates. Latino voters indicated 77.5% preference for Democratic candidates to 22.5% for Republican. These numbers are a slight decrease from the 84.3% and 13.6% support received by Democrats and Republican congressional candidates respectively in '96.

Strong support for George Bush among all voters and the absence of significant campaigning by Al Gore translated in a decrease in voter participation throughout the state. Preliminary voter turnout figures indicate only 34.1% of Latino voters across the state came out to vote on election day. While this figure still does not account for early vote, total Latino voters on election night are estimated at 665,000. While WCVI turnout study data is not yet complete, it is likely that Latino turnout also declined, compared to 1996.

The William C. Velásquez Institute conducted an exit poll to measure how Latinos voted during the November 2000 presidential elections. The survey was administered by trained interviewers in both English and Spanish. WCVI pollsters interviewed 957 Latino voters in 32 Texas precincts. The sample was designed to cover 90% of all Latino voters in the state. Precincts from 5% to 100% of registered Latino voters were included in the sample. The design is a stratified, two stage, probability-based sample. Precincts were included in the universe if they met minimum levels with respect to number and percentage of Latino voters. Precincts were than stratified by geography and percent Latino voter population. The voters poll touched on issues specially relevant to the Latino community which where either represented in the November election or are subject of ongoing local and national debate. The margin of error for this study is plus-minus 3.2%.