"Subprime mortgage and the foreclosure rates are disproportionately impacting on Latinos and immigrant homeowners, as well as African-American homeowners, so there is that special impact on those people, as well."

Last month, Chin says, Brooklyn alone saw 500 new citizens register to vote. He sees it as another sign that both Latino and "new citizen" turnout could be especially high in New York. The deadline to register is October 15 and, at this point, Chin recommends registering in person.

Some polling places will have new voting machines, Chin explains, and this is also the first election in which new procedures are in place to match New York voter lists with a national database. He predicts this could cause confusion, which is one reason his office is working to educate voters.

"Making sure people are going to get to the polls, know how to work those machines, know exactly how to be assisted, - if they are allowed to get assistance - and also making sure that vote is counted accurately."

Chin says, because of the new procedures, even long-time voters may learn their names are missing from the rolls. If that happens, he adds, individual voters can assert their right to cast a provisional ballot.

The Pew survey of 2,015 Latino U.S. residents can be viewed online, at http://pewhispanic.org.

Michael Clifford/Craig Eicher, Public News Service - NY