Like it or not, election season seems to be in full swing… a year ahead of time.

One of the most highly sought voting blocs is the Latino population. But if politicians are trying to gain the Latino vote by offering some form of immigration support, they may be barking up the wrong tree. Judging from a recent Friedman Foundation poll, the Latino community is more likely to favor candidates who support school choice.

Latinos particularly support private school choice. Seventy-one percent favor school vouchers, which provide tax dollars to a child’s school of choice, whether public or private. Even more Latinos (73%) support Education Savings Accounts, which place education dollars in the hands of parents to use for items including “private school tuition, virtual education programs, private tutoring or saving for future college expenses.”

Although 92% of Latino students are currently enrolled in public school, the chart below shows that number would dramatically drop if parents had the ability to choose their child’s school. Considering that only 22% of 8th grade Hispanic students attained reading proficiency in 2013, it’s not surprising that many parents would choose another option besides public school.

Image Credit: Hispanically Speaking News