Houston taco trucks register voters as Latinos flex political muscle

*Flex those political muscles, one taco at a time. VL

By Terry Wade, Reuters (2minute read)

HOUSTON, Sept 29 (Reuters) – Taco trucks in Houston have begun doubling as voter registration sites as Latinos in Texas flex their political muscle before the Nov. 8 presidential election in a state that has long symbolized Mexican immigration to the United States.

Riffing on widely ridiculed comments by Marco Gutierrez, a supporter of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, that without action on immigration reform, “you’re going to have taco trucks on every corner,” the non-partisan civic group Mi Familia Vota is driving the effort to reach first-time voters.

“We Latinos have been the group with the most growth in Texas, but this hasn’t translated into the political sphere,” said Houston coordinator Carlos Zamora. “We want to build political capital.”

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Although Texas is a Republican stronghold, demographics in the Lone Star State are seen shifting in favor of Democrats with the steady increase in Hispanic voters, who have historically favored the party. In the 2012 election, Latinos nationally voted for Democratic President Barack Obama over Republican Mitt Romney by 71 percent to 27 percent, according to exit polls. READ MORE