FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 20, 2001

Latino Electorate Drives Garza Victory in Mayoral Election
WCVI Analysis Shows Split Among Non-Hispanic Voters

San Antonio, TX - In a study released today by the William C. Velásquez Institute, it was found that 96.9% of Latino registered voters that cast ballots in the 2001 Mayoral election voted for Ed Garza in stark contrast to only 52.1% of non-Hispanic voters. The special study, a racial polarized study of San Antonio voting precincts, was conducted in conjunction with Dr. Henry Flores of St. Mary's University.

Latinos represented 60.1% of Ed Garza's total support with only 39.9% coming from non-Hispanic voters. Overall, Latinos represented 36.6% of total votes cast in the 2001 Mayoral Election and came out at the predicted 12% of Latino registered voters. These numbers are consistent with past trends where elections have a competitive Latino mayoral candidate In these elections, the Latino vote share has averaged 39.4% versus 21.5% in elections lacking a competitive Latino mayoral candidate.

Political Participation of Latinos In 2001 Mayoral Election

"In contrast to the hypothesis of the popular media, this study strongly suggests that the base of the support for the Garza victory was driven by the Latino electorate. Aside from the traditional support from the heavily Latino West- and South-sides, Garza was able to garner support from marginal Latino precincts (30-50%) in the outer perimeter of 410 between 90 and I-10. These precincts helped drive his support to the north," commented Antonio Gonzalez, President of the William C. Velasquez Institute.

The analysis was based upon precinct-level election results for the entire city provided by the City of San Antonio's City Clerk's Office. The findings represent statistical estimates that were extrapolated using a double equation regression statistical technique that is traditionally used in these types of studies. Any questions concerning this technique should be addressed to Dr. Flores.