Yesterday afternoon, SEIU Exec. Vice President Eliseo Medina participated in a telephonic press briefing regarding a new report that details how the Latino vote will shape the 2010 mid-term elections -- critical bedtime reading for anyone who is interested in the Latino vote.

The report, The Power of the Latino Vote in the 2010 Elections, shows that the Latino vote has grown exponentially since 2000, changing the political landscape in more than a dozen states across the country, and is poised to be pivotal yet again in the 2010 cycle.

SEIU Executive VP Medina said:

"The record influence of the Latino vote in 2008 was not a fluke; not an accident; not a random one-time occurrence it was the result of a growing shift in awareness among Latino voters in every corner of the U.S. about the real power of politics to change lives.

As a result of this growing awareness, today we stand witness to the growing might of a diverse, highly-motivated electorate that will change American politics into the future."

How both parties handle such issues as comprehensive immigration reform will have a real impact on Latino political behavior, including turnout and party preference, in the congressional mid-terms and beyond.

Candidates and parties need to do more than say a few words in Spanish-they need to understand and embrace the policies that motivate and influence Latino voters.

Medina went on to say that "in 2008 Latinos were really voting for an agenda and now they expect elected officials to deliver on that agenda."

Click here to read and download the report by America's Voice on the power of the Latino vote in the 2010 elections. Read info at America's Voice here.

Click here to listen to a recording of today's call.