A poll released earlier this week shows promising figures for Latino political power. Enthusiasm is very high one week before the election, so high that 8% of eligible Latino voters have already casted their ballot! 

(flickr: Teeny!)

via Huffington Post

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Latino voters will likely come to the polls in record numbers next week, experts from ImpreMedia and Latino Decisions predict based on a tracking poll released Monday.

The weekly tracking poll found 87 percent of Latino voters say they are almost certain they will vote, including 8 percent who already voted early.

"The poll shows that this year we can anticipate record participation among Latino voters,” ImpreMedia CEO Monica Lozano said in a press release. "However, Latinos are also realistic about what it will take to make real progress on the issues they care about, especially given the lack of cooperation among our elected representatives in Congress."

Enthusiasm also increased among Latino voters -- a good sign for the president -- and now 45 percent say they are more enthusiastic about the 2012 election than they were in 2008, according to the poll.

Like most other polling on Latino voters, this new poll shows an advantage for President Barack Obama. Seventy-three percent of Latino voters say they trust Obama and the Democratic party to improve the economy, whereas 18 percent say the same of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and his party.

Still, many said they are not confident either can do much in terms of taxes and health care. The pollsters found about 45 percent of Latino voters say they expect little increase in cooperation between congress and either candidate.