WASHINGTON - High rates of illegal immigration, along with low rates of naturalization and voter registration, have kept the Latino vote from reflecting the growth of the Latino population.

But while illegal immigration and political apathy have muffled the Latino voice in politics, raw demographic power and voter-registration drives have slowly turned up its volume.

That makes the estimated 9.3 million Latino voters this fall a key target for the presidential candidates, Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Barack Obama, D-Ill. MORE