Additional 4 million Latino voters eligible this election from 2012

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KTVU) - As many as 15 million Latinos are projected to cast ballots in 2016, according to a national tracking poll from Latino Decisions.

Enthusiasm is high among Latino voters and several participated in a last minute push on Monday to get out the vote at Saint Paul’s United Methodist Church in San Jose.

Volunteers were phone banking inside the church and some went canvasing door-to-door. A pastor blessed a stack of ballots as a symbolic way to show that how people vote is a reflection of their faith.

Jennifer Goto, the pastor of Saint Paul’s United Methodist Church, said the volunteers were from various backgrounds, organizations, and faiths. She said the organizations have been reaching out to young people, people of color, or anyone who has been marginalized in past elections and may feel their vote would not count.

This election, however, could prove to be historic for Latino voters. If projections are correct, as many as 15 million Latinos could cast ballots this year compared to the estimated 11.2 million that voted in 2012. That is because an additional 4 million Latinos have become eligible to vote since the last presidential election, according to Pew Hispanic.

So far, early voting numbers show Latino voting is up from 2012 in the key battleground states of Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina.