Latino voter registration in Hall up 'significantly'

ATLANTA - The Georgia Association of Latino Elected officials said the number of Hispanics registering to vote in Hall County has increased significantly.

Jerry Gonzalez, the group's executive director, said Latino voter registration in Gainesville incresed 80 percent between January 2003 and May 2004.

"Also, 9,000 registered voters are listed as 'other,' and we think many of those are also Latino," Gonzalez said.

As a result, the association has planned a meeting in Gainesville October 26 to meet Georgia House and Senate candidates.

A similar meeting is planned October 27 in Cobb County, another area that is experiencing a rapid increase in the Hispanic population. Gonzalez said the number of Latinos registering to vote in Cobb increased 131 percent during the same period.

Hall Conty's Hispanic population is officially listed as 27,000 - or about 20 percent, according to the 2000 Census.