Univision Works to Magnify Clout of Hispanic Voting Bloc

If the path to the White House this election passes through the Hispanic community, then it also passes through Univision. The dominant Spanish-language broadcaster is a powerful influence on its audience -- and in this election cycle, it has been engaged in an aggressive two-year campaign to turn the fast-growing Hispanic constituency into a potent voting bloc. The network -- whose ratings during prime time often surpass those of ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC -- has used public-service announcements as well as local and national news broadcasts to motivate Latinos to become politically engaged. With other Latino media and grassroots groups, Univision began by spurring more than a million eligible legal U.S. residents to apply for U.S. citizenship; it then goaded them to register to vote. Now, less than two weeks before the election, it is guiding them right to the voting booth.