San Diego ( CNN ) -- We start with the obvious question : Why do the media , political observers and presidential campaigns spend so much time talking about the Latino vote ? Many Americans resent the implication that some votes are more important or have more impact than others . ( No one is saying that 's the case . ) Still , why do n't we talk with equal enthusiasm about voting by African-Americans or white evangelicals or left-handed senior citizens who live in Rhode Island ? Here are four reasons : . 1 . The number of Hispanic voters has been increasing steadily -- by 2 million since the last presidential election . An estimated 12 million Latinos are expected to cast ballots in November , up from 10 million in 2008 . That could account for as much as 10 % of the total number of ballots cast across all demographic groups . 2 . Latino voters live in swing states that pick presidents . They are a major presence in four battlegrounds : Colorado , Florida , Nevada and New Mexico . While they are also a force in blue states such as California and New York and red states such as Texas and Arizona , their real influence is in the purple states . 3 . Hispanics are up for grabs , more than African-Americans who vote overwhelmingly for Democrats and white conservative Christians who usually support Republicans . While the majority closely identify with the Democratic Party -- a December 2011 study by the Pew Hispanic Center said 67 % call themselves Democrats and 20 % Republicans -- Hispanics have in the past shown a willingness to support Republicans with moderate views on issues such as immigration . 4 . The Hispanic population will become more important and politically powerful . According to the 2010 census , the number of Hispanics in this country grew 43 % in the last decade . Only one group is growing faster : Asian Americans . By 2050 , Hispanics are projected to number 132 million and represent 30 % of the population . What questions would you like to ask the candidates ? Share a short video question . It 's a new world . Look no further than the 23rd Congressional District in Texas , where Republican Rep. Francisco `` Quico '' Canseco and Democratic challenger Pete Gallego recently faced off in a debate in San Antonio . The debate was entirely in Spanish , a show of respect in a district that is 66 % Latino and where 53 % of residents speak a language other than English at home . Unfortunately , there are still remnants of the old world . For that , we can thank both political parties who put their own interests ahead of everyday Americans -- with Latinos being no exception . In this nation of immigrants , the federal government and local law enforcement officers now work hand-in-glove to round up and deport the undocumented . And this is n't just happening in Republican-controlled Arizona . Thanks to a program called Secure Communities , which requires local police to submit to federal authorities the fingerprints of anyone they suspect might be in the country illegally ( read : Hispanics ) , that kind of cooperation is now standard operating procedure from sea to shining sea . The program was started at the end of 2008 , but it has been ramped up during the Obama Administration as a way of increasing deportation figures . Latinos , according to the Pew study , are nearly twice as likely as the general public to support a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants . In the presidential matchup between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney , Latinos have a Hobson 's choice between a Republican challenger who talks about getting tough on illegal immigrants and a Democratic incumbent who already has . Of course , there is always the chance that Latinos do n't consider immigration a top priority . But we have already been assured that they do . By whom ? Why , by Democrats who use the issue to attack Republicans , and Republicans who use it to attack Democrats . Back in the world of bad choices , if Latinos fall in line behind Obama , despite his record 1.5 million deportations and the dividing of hundreds of thousands of families , they will send the president a clear message : `` Do with us what you will . We have no real influence and no power because we have no principles and no integrity . You can wipe your feet on our concerns , and we 'll still support you . '' If they vote for Mitt Romney despite his harsh rhetoric in the primary , they 'll be saying : `` It 's OK to propose simple solutions , to demagogue the immigration issue , to twist your opponents ' positions and to caricature immigrants as takers and a burden on society . We 'll still take a chance on you as a better alternative to what we have now . '' If Latino voters go down either path , there could soon come a day when we wo n't have to worry about discussing the power of the Latino vote -- because there may not be much power to discuss . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ruben Navarrette .
Ruben Navarrette : The reasons why so many are focused on the Latino vote this election . He says Latino voters rolls have swelled , and they are well - represented in swing states . He says they skew Democrat , but may be open to GOP ; not an issue either way . Navarrette : We face America 's choice in election .