skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina s congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Myorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

New Study Points to Illinois Immigrant Power in Midterm Election

play audio
Play

Monday, October 11, 2010   

CHICAGO - Immigrants in Illinois hold a considerable amount of voting clout, according to a new census study to to be released Thursday by the Immigration Policy Center in Washington.

Wendy Sefsaf, with the American Immigration Council, says the study found more than six million voters registered in Illinois, and one in ten of those voters is either an immigrant or a child of an immigrant. That's well over a half-million potential voters, and Sefsaf says they could be a powerful force - if they get out and cast ballots on election day next month.

"Absolutely. I mean when ten percent of all registered voters in Illinois are immigrants or the children of immigrants, they certainly have a big political muscle that they can begin to use."

Sefsaf says studies showed that immigrants did have a big impact on the last Presidential election.

"So we know that they can actually swing elections in key districts and in key states."

Some pundits have said that the young people who voted in large numbers for President Obama have turned apathetic, but 18-year-old Marlene Perez says she's not. Her parents have not missed an election since becoming citizens, and she says she's ready to cast her ballot.

"It feels wonderful and I'm actually excited to go out and vote for the very first time on November 2."

Perez has been knocking on doors in her neighborhood trying to convince her neighbors of how important it is to stay involved.

"My parents, before they received their citizenship, they always wanted to go out and vote. They're very happy and surprised that I got involved in this."

The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights has launched a non-partisan mobilization project to encourage all new Americans make their voices heard on November 2.





get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021