More people with Hispanic last names registering to vote

DALLAS (AP) - Voter registration among Dallas County residents with Spanish surnames climbed in the first four months of 2008, records show.

More than 7,500 residents with Hispanic last names registered to vote during that time, said Dallas County elections administrator Bruce Sherbet.

At the current pace, newlyregistered Spanish-surnamed voters could easily surpass the 8,000 voters with Hispanic last names who registered in all of 2007.

Voter rolls are expected to soar through the Oct. 6, the cutoff for registering to vote in the November elections, Sherbet said.

A presidential election year and "the dynamic candidates that we have" have boosted voter registration. Concerns about illegal immigration, the economy and the Iraq war also contributed, Sherbet said.

"It is not just one thing you can point to," he said, "But those things adding up have caused this situation."

A coalition of groups have been working to increase citizenship and voter registration among immigrants.

Statewide, the number of registered voters with Spanish surnames jumped by 10 percent from the 2004 election, compared with a 4 percent increase in the overall number of registered voters, according to the Texas Secretary of State's Office.

State Rep. Rafael Anchia thinks the registration numbers show political interest by newly naturalized citizens and young people turning of voting age.

"It makes me very excited that legal permanent residents want to become citizens, and I think it will make for a better Dallas," said Anchia, who's worked on citizenship and voter registration drives as chairman of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.