Republicans and Democrats Appeal to Latino Voters
The race for the White House is a close one and every vote counts.
"Clearly both the republican and democratic party are appealing to the Latino vote," said Paul Saldana, a political consultant with Brisa Communications.
Saldana it's no surprise both parties have several key speakers at their conventions with Latino heritage.
Republicans had several Latino speakers during their convention last week, including Florida Senator Marco Rubio. Rubio introduced party nominee Mitt Romney.
Democrats are making history with the first Latino ever to give the key-note address at a National Party Convention. San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro is addressing the Democratic National Convention. It's a sign of the times as more than 600,000 Latinos turn 18 and become eligible to vote each year, and both parties are taking notice.
"Whether it be the presidential race or some of the other state races it could come down to Latino voters," said Saldana.
One area that both parties could focus on is young Latinos. That's because in the United States the median age for Latinos is 28-years-old, and those young voters we talked to say they plan to go to the polls.
"I just turned 18 and I plan on voting. I've be working with local politics when I was back in Houston," said Karen Rojas, a student at U.T.
Saldana says one way to reach out to younger Latinos is through technology, such as social media.
"Hispanics are 30 percent more inclined to use that more on a regular basis to get their messages and to get their news," said Saldana.
Still Latinos continue to face issues when it comes to getting eligible voters registered.
In the last national election, only one-third of eligible Latinos voted.