The U.S. Census Bureau released a report in August that said Latinos will comprise the new United States majority demographic by 2042, displacing whites of European descent for the first time in the nation’s history.

But securing the Latino vote is not an easy task because of the diverse nature of a community that pools from more than 20 different nations. Latinos are generally strongly Roman Catholic, which has pushed many to the Republican Party, but issues such as immigration reform have pulled many to the Democratic Party.

“Latinos, like any group, are not monolithic. There are differing opinions from a Dominican to a Venezuelan and a Mexican to a Colombian. A middle class Latino voter would also be different from a working class Latino,” said Carlos Martinez, co-chairman of Culturas de las Razas Unidas.

“I feel like identifying with one political party wouldn’t be beneficial at all. If they feel they have your vote, there is less incentive for a politician to cater to your needs.”

State Sen. Valde Garcia, R-Marion Township, said Latinos need to refrain from taking the political bait parties will offer them. If Latinos begin to fall in line with one party, Garcia said, it opens them to exploitation.

“I think it’s important that Latino voters not be identified by any one party because then they get taken for granted,” Garcia said. “You can’t get anything done when you’re taken for granted.”

The threat of another Tammany Hall — the Democratic Party’s New York City political machine in the late 1800s and early 1900s that offered incentives to immigrants to win their votes — might be more minute now.

State Rep. Lee Gonzales, D-Flint Township, said although he expects most Latinos to vote Democratic, they see the merit in both parties and candidates Barack Obama, D-Ill., and John McCain, R-Ariz.

Gonzales credits former President Ronald Reagan, a Republican, as “the guy that first broke the biggest glass ceiling” for Latinos — but said former President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, was the first president to offer Latinos high positions on his staff.

He said the support of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., for Obama will sway many Latino voters.

Although Latino voters will be increasingly important as the years go by, journalism senior Guillermo Avilez Jr. said he doesn’t think Latinos will be a deciding factor in this year’s election.

“There are a lot of Latinos who don’t register to vote, unfortunately,” Avilez said. “There are a lot of Latinos on the day of the election who don’t go to the polls for some reason. Unfortunately, that’s the case.”

Latino communities could have an impact in certain states, Avilez said, such as when many people pinned President Bush winning Florida in the 2000 presidential election on the Cuban-American vote.

Overall, though, the states’ Latinos would deliver to certain candidates won’t change the election’s outcome, Avilez said.

“I don’t think this election will be on the hands of the Latinos,” he said. “But they could play a specific role in some states.”