The USA Today/Gallup poll was conducted April 16-May 31. Poll: Half of Hispanics independent

In an election year in which Hispanics in the U.S. are expected to play a crucial role, a significant percentage of them may be up for grabs come November, a new USA Today/Gallup poll suggests.

A slight majority of Hispanics in the country, 51 percent, identify as politically independent, according to the survey released Monday. About a third, 32 percent, consider themselves Democrats, while just 11 percent say they are Republicans.


However, the poll found that the majority of Hispanics in the U.S., 52 percent, lean toward the Democratic Party, compared to 23 percent who lean toward the Republican Party.

These figures become even more encouraging for President Barack Obama and Democrats when only taking into account Hispanic registered voters. More than four in 10 in this group, 45 percent, say they are Democrats, compared to 36 percent who consider themselves independents and 16 percent who say they are Republicans.

Furthermore, after factoring in partisan leanings, six in 10 independent Hispanic registered voters affiliate with the Democratic Party, compared to just 27 percent who associate with the GOP.

According to the survey, the percentage of Hispanics in America who are politically independent is highest among immigrants. Sixty percent of Hispanic immigrants say they are independent, compared to 44 percent of first-generation and 43 percent of second-generation Hispanics in the country.

The results suggest that while President Barack Obama is polling well ahead of Mitt Romney among Hispanic voters, a significant percentage of that population is persuadable — ensuring that each candidate’s position on immigration will continue to be closely scrutinized.

Obama sent a strong signal on this front recently when he issued a policy directly stopping the deportation of some children of illegal immigrants. And last month, the Supreme Court ruled to uphold the controversial “show me your papers” provision of Arizona’s immigration law, after which the Obama administration retaliated by revoking the federal government’s agreements with the state’s local enforcement agencies that gave local police power to enforce immigration laws.

The USA Today/Gallup poll was conducted April 16-May 31 among 1,753 Hispanics and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.