Faculty Sponsor
Dr. Jennifer Wu
Abstract
As Salvadoran and Guatemalan migrants settled en masse across Long Island from the 1980s to the 2010s, seven Latino-majority towns emerged, each with distinct voting patterns that diverge from broader national Latino trends and from one another. This study examines how and why these Central American communities vote by integrating precinct-level election returns with the U.S. Census’ American Community Survey data. Using variables such as income, population density, education, citizenship status, and language, it identifies correlations between demographic conditions and partisan vote share. This approach reveals how socioeconomic factors shape political behavior within Salvadoran-American and Guatemalan-American enclaves in Nassau and Suffolk counties. By linking demographic indicators to electoral outcomes, this study examines the forces driving partisan alignment at the neighborhood level, clarifies the political profile of Long Island’s Central American electorate, and contributes to broader, emerging scholarship on Latino electoral diversity in the United States and on Long Island.
Citation Style
APA
Recommended Citation
Patrick, B. J. (2026). Understanding the Political Profile of Long Island’s Central American Electorate: A Case Study of Long Island’s Majority-Latino Towns. Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal, 11(2). Retrieved from https://orb.binghamton.edu/alpenglowjournal/vol11/iss2/15