ABSTRACT

The 1988 elections showed both the potential and the limits of the Latino vote in California. Special elections are notorious for low turnout because often only one item is on the ballot and only one district in the city is voting. The initial special elections, however, would have had the highest turnout total for the city if they had been held at the same time as the general election. While internal strategies can be developed by Latinos to position themselves for future elections, external conditions, such as a close election or participation in the campaign organization, must be present for these strategies to have a chance to work. In addition to the lack of Latino candidates, none of the initiatives were of special interest to the Latino community. After the national Democratic Convention, Latinos were perceived as an important voting bloc and key players on a winning team. In 1988, Latinos made up 7 percent of the California vote statewide.