With just 43 days left until Americans go to the polls to elect the next leader of the free world, the conversation about the Latino vote is front and center. 

The Latino community makes up more than 10 percent of the nation's eligible voters and approximately 8 percent of its registered voters. A number of states have pursued discriminatory voting policies that threaten to undermine the participation of millions of Latino citizens during the 2012 elections. 

A new report finds that 23 states currently have legal barriers that disproportionately impact voter registration and participation by 10 million Latino citizens.

As of August 2012, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Washington have adopted or are pursuing citizenship related purges of already registered voters.

As of August 2012, several states have adopted, and another ten states have proposed, laws requiring additional documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote. 

As of August 2012, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin have enacted laws requiring strict state-issued photo identification before allowing registered voters to cast a regular ballot. 

"Considering the discriminatory impact of strict photo ID laws on Latinos and other voters of color, states should repeal those laws and instead focus on other means to improve election integrity," the authors wrote.  Photo ID laws cause confusion and as shown in this report, negatively impact millions of Latino voters.  In view of the fact that there have only been 10 cases of in-person voter fraud since 2000, voter ID laws are not needed and should be repealed.   

According to the report, 16 percent of Latinos do not possess a requisite photo identification compared to six percent of nonHispanic Whites. 

According to the report, in Florida, eligible Latino voters amount to nine times the 2008 margin of victory, and unregistered Latinos constitute four times the margin of victory.  In Colorado, eligible Latino voters are twice the 2008 Presidential margin of victory, while unregistered Latino citizens alone exceed the margin of victory.

"Latino and other people of color are fast becoming a majority within the United States, and their political contributions and influence are growing as well," the authors wrote.  "But in 2012, politicians in the aforementioned states are undermining voter participation by Latinos and other communities of color.  Through laws targeting naturalized citizens, these politicians are threatening constitutional guarantees of equal protection.  By pursuing voter purges and making it more difficult to register and vote, these state officials are impairing American democracy."

The authors urged states to comply with the National Voter Registration Act ("NVRA") and only conduct election list maintenance outside of the 90-day quiet period which the NVRA established to prohibit purging due to the inaccuracies  and confusion it causes within 90 days before any federal election.