Maria Teresa Galvan made her way to the front of the line at the Joliet train depot to get a quick word with Texas Gov. George W. Bush. "Los votantes Latinos le gustan a Bush," she told the Republican. (Latino voters like Bush.) The presidential candidate cupped his hand to Galvan's ear and whispered his response. Bush's words thrilled Galvan, mostly because they were in Spanish. "Y vamos a ganar." (And we're going to win.) For her husband, Joseph Galvan, the chairman of the Illinois Hispanic Republican Assembly, the moment hammered home how important Latinos are in this presidential election. In fact, never before have Latino voters, in Illinois and across the country, received so much attention. That's because their numbers are rising everywhere, in the population count and at the polls. Hispanics now make up 11.7 percent of the U.S. population (10.5 percent in Illinois), and census projections indicate that Latinos will become the nation's largest minority group within the next five years. Further, Hispanics accounted for 5.2 percent of the national voter turnout in November 1998, and that number is projected to grow to 7 percent in 2000, according to a study by the research arm of Univision Communications Inc, the nation's largest Spanish language broadcasting company. Last summer, the Republican and Democratic conventions prominently featured Latinos and booked Spanish language music acts. Bush and Vice President Al Gore made speeches in Spanish and have Spanish-language Web sites. And Galvan, the first Hispanic from Illinois tapped as an at-large delegate to the Republican National Convention, is giddy with all the attention he's receiving. When Bush kicked off his "Change the Tone" campaign in Illinois after the convention, Galvan was one of three people to meet the presidential candidate at the airport. For that matter, such important Illinois Republicans as Senate President James "Pate" Philip of Wood Dale and House Minority Leader Lee Daniels of Elmhurst planned meetings with Galvan to talk strategy. "It means they are taking us seriously and that the guy [Bush] is genuine. I don't think you would have had this 20 or even 10 years ago, but you have it

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Indeed, there is evidence of a growing Latino presence among Republican voters. Univision's report indicates that while 63 percent of the Latino voters identified themselves as Democrats in 1998, that share was down from 1996, when 73 percent reported themselves as Democrats.

Republicans' efforts have not gone unnoticed by Illinois Democrats, who think they have a Latino stronghold that will be tough for the GOP to overcome. Still, they aren't taking any chances -- particularly not in Illinois.

If early polls and other indicators are right and the election turns out to be a tight race, then Illinois -- seen as a swing state -- will be important. And that means Latinos, if they have a good turnout at the polls, could have a real impact on the election.

The U.S. Hispanic population topped 31 million in a March 1999 estimate done by the U.S. Census Bureau. In Illinois, projections indicate that by 2025 there will be 2.3 million Latinos, who would represent 17 percent of the population and make Hispanics the largest minority group in the state.

Indeed, Illinois ranks fifth in the nation in the number of Latinos over the age of 18, accounting for 9 percent of the state's voting age population. Of that number, 412,000 are U.S. citizens and 229,000 of them are registered to vote.

The presidential campaigns are taking note. "In a tight race, states like Illinois are extremely coveted by candidates," says Rudy Lopez, the national field director for the Chicago-based U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan group that promotes Latino civic participation.

State Rep. William Delgado of Chicago says he and other elected Latino Democrats will be working phone banks and stumping for Gore, traveling to meet with Hispanic groups throughout the state.

Democrats have a connection to Hispanics that Republicans just can't match, Delgado says. "Democrats live in Latino communities. We know the mission. Just coming into our neighborhood and speaking Spanish is an advantage, but not a catchall. I see Republicans as wolves in sheep's clothing."

With two suitors aggressively courting their votes, Democrat and Republican Latinos see this election as their chance to gain some clout and respect. The political cliche long has referred to the Latino population as a "sleeping giant." Latinos are anxious to see it awaken and show its strength.

"Over the years, I feel the Latino vote has been taken for granted by both parties," Delgado says. "The biggest test is this year. They have to fight for our vote and court that vote. This is our opportunity. Latino empowerment in Illinois is this sleeping giant lying down and opening one eye at a time."

Galvan agrees. "Latinos have to come out to vote. That is the only way our state representatives and senators will get the message that Latinos are more than just demographics. This is our springboard into greater inclusion in the party and down the road in two years in the state election."

There's no guarantee. Census Bureau voting figures from 1996 showed that Latinos were the only major racial-ethnic group to have significantly increased their voting numbers nationwide. In 1996, the number of Latino voters totaled 4.9 million, a 16 percent increase over 1992 figures. But while more registered to vote, only 75 percent turned out to the polls on election day -- compared with 80 percent of black voters and 83 percent of white voters. As a result, Latino voters made up 5 percent of the total number of voters nationwide in 1996. Latinos made up 3 percent of the vote in Illinois.

(Census officials say there may be a 10 percent inflation over actual voting and registration rates.) Latinos need to increase their numbers at the polls to have any dramatic impact, says Louis DeSipio, an associate professor of political science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who follows Latinos' voting habits and wrote the 1996 book Counting the Latino Vote: Latinos as a New Electorate.

So far, there hasn't been much to motivate Hispanics in Illinois to vote, he says. In the last several statewide elections, races have been clear-cut and Latinos haven't been needed.

But, he adds, Latinos in Illinois become important in a close election when every vote counts.

And because there are elements in the Republican and Democratic parties that appeal to Hispanics, many Latino votes are "up for grabs," says Jesus Garcia, who runs a sophisticated, nonpartisan Web site called Latinovote.com. Latinos long have been viewed as strong partisans for Democrats who advocate a strong role for government and support immigration issues.

But second- and third-generation Hispanics and some new immigrants aren't as solid a voting bloc, Garcia says. "People don't get from either party a feeling that we really belong here." Hispanics like the family values message touted by Republicans. Many also support the death penalty, and many have become small business owners who are concerned about taxes, DeSipio says.

By analyzing voting records and studying the voting habits of people with Latino surnames in Kern County outside Los Angeles, Garcia found that Hispanics who had been voting regularly over the last decade were more likely to take a Democratic primary ballot -- about 70 percent of the time. Newer voters were about 40 percent Democrat, 20 percent Republican and the rest Independent. He also notes Kern County is one of the most Republican in the state, and says his research probably is indicative of other Latinos in the United States. "We're up for grabs, in essence," Garcia says.

Over the last decade, Delgado says, Hispanic leaders in Chicago have been working to register Latinos to vote and have offered workshops to help immigrants with their citizenship

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paperwork. But while Democrats won party loyalty from early immigrants by helping them in that fashion, today's attempts are not as great as in years past, DeSipio says.

It will take a great deal of mobilization for Latinos to gain more power, says DeSipio. "There have been isolated Latinos that have done quite well, but there isn't a network. There hasn't been the passage of power from one generation to the next. When that happens, it will be a sign of power."

Delgado, who has served in the Illinois House for two years, says Latinos have made small inroads, but have a long way to go compared to Hispanics in New Jersey and Florida, where he also has lived. "I have found Illinois is a little bit behind the curve having political power in the state."

It is a scenario that has played out in other states, including California, DeSipio says. "Part of the problem that any group faces is challenging those old networks. Here in Illinois, Latinos are at a disadvantage because of the [established party] networks in the city and suburbs."

There are several barriers to mobilizing the Latino vote, DeSipio says. Many Hispanics who live in the United States aren't citizens and those who are tend to be poorer, younger and less educated, and as a result are less likely to vote, he says. But DeSipio says Illinois could see a quick turnaround. He points to California, where Hispanics have managed to get two speakers of the House elected, as well as a Latino lieutenant governor. The Hispanic vote also was key in electing Gov. Gray Davis in 1998.

Garcia's Web site has links to many other political sites, both Republican and Democratic. It also offers political stories affecting Latinos and some that have been critical of both Bush and Gore. For instance, some articles portrayed Gore as pandering to Cubans on his Elian Gonzalez stance. "I think he thought it would benefit him," Garcia says. "The vast majority of Americans and Latino Americans thought this little guy should be with his father." He also says Hispanics see through Gore's often-made remark that his first grandchild was born on the Fourth of July and he hopes his next is born on Cinqo de Mayo. "What's up with that? What does that have to do with how you will influence education? It's cute, but people want them to go beyond this."

And Garcia says Latinos are skeptical of Bush's sincerity in speaking Spanish and using his Hispanic nephew, George P. Bush, to campaign on his behalf. "People like for people to speak to them in their own language. It's nice to be recognized, but it doesn't stop there," Garcia says.

The issues are what bring Latinos together, DeSipio says. "They hold positions about the issues that we care about, only more strongly. They support big government, issues like education, public transportation, public safety."

Illinois' Latino voters are sure to hear plenty about those issues as Republicans and Democrats gear up their campaigns for Bush and Gore.

Hispanics for Bush plan to work phone banks, knock on doors and speak to Latino groups in an effort to get out the vote. Committees have been created to target specific Latino groups: immigrants from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico, the Caribbean, South America and parts of Central America. A media expert also has been hired to help make these efforts more visible.

Illinois Democrats hope to register 150,000 new Latino voters in the Chicago area by the mid-October registration deadline, says Peter Giangreco, a Chicago political consultant who is a senior adviser to the Gore campaign. Smaller voter registration drives are underway in some suburban communities and in downstate areas with heavy Latino populations. "This is unprecedented,''

Giangreco says. Also, localized radio and television ads are planned, along with national ads featuring Gore on Univision and Telemundo, the two major Spanish television networks in the United States.

Gore is stumping in Hispanic neighborhoods in the Chicago area and talking about health care and other issues deemed hot in Hispanic communities.

"It's a full court press,'' Giangreco says. "You have to earn Latino votes just like anyone else's vote." Giangreco adds that Democrats plan to have "an army of people" going door to door in Chicago and suburbs with concentrations of Latinos, such as North Chicago, Elgin and Aurora.

Democrats plan to put up a good fight for the Latino vote in Illinois, says Gilberto Ocanas, campaign manager of the Democratic National Committee's Latino Coordinated Campaign. "The task in Illinois will be to increase the turnout of Hispanics. We have a whole target of swing states, and Illinois is the largest of those states and has the largest population in the Midwest. It is key," Ocanas says.

That party's activists will begin by targeting community leaders and the media to get out the vote. Bilingual direct mail and phone callers will work to contact Hispanics. Spanish radio and television ads will go out with messages aimed at concerns specific to Midwestern Latinos.

Coordinators also will try to mobilize college Latino voters in each state.

Above all, those already involved in politics hope Latinos will go to the polls this year in record numbers.

"I think some of America has to get over a demographic denial that somehow Latinos will go away. That's not the reality. I believe both parties have come to realize that," Garcia says. "The Latino vote doesn't at this time have the numbers to make wholesale changes in politics. The real test will be where we are five or 10 years from now. But we can get some attention in this election."

Kristy Kennedy is a Naperville writer who previously worked for the Daily Herald.

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