Nevada is a battleground state...

And Latinos here are waking up to their electoral power. A recent poll finds that they differ in a few important ways from Latino voters nationwide: they're younger, more likely to be registered as Democrats, and more likely to be union members.

The poll found that about a third, 36 percent, of the state's Hispanic voters are American-born and nearly two-thirds, 63 percent, are under 50.

Nationally, 53 percent of the Hispanic electorate and 50 percent of all voters are under 50, Bendixen said. Among states, only Florida has a higher percentage of Hispanic voters who are immigrants.

About 60 percent of Hispanic voters in Nevada are registered Democrats, with 19 percent Republicans and 21 percent nonpartisan or third party. That's slightly more Democratic than the national average for Hispanics, which is about 55 percent Democrats and 25 percent Republicans.

A quarter of Nevada's Hispanic voters belong to a union, according to the poll, a proportion Bendixen said was higher than the national average and helped explain both the increase in political engagement and the tilt toward the Democratic Party.

Hispanic voters are overwhelmingly concerned about the economy. In the poll, 69 percent named the economy or jobs as one of their top two issues. The war in Iraq came in second, at 33 percent, followed by immigration, health care and education.

¡Si, se puede!

The Si Se Puede Democratic Club of Southern Nevada has an early voting event on July 26. Contact and other info here.