HispanicBusiness

Nationwide n 2012, 52 percent support Republicans (versus 45 percent in 2008) and 40 percent support Democrats (versus 45 percent in 2008).

They make up 20 percent of Republican voters and 14 percent of Democratic voters.

Issues: The United Methodist Church, on its Church and Politics page, cites "a strong belief in social justice, mission and outreach ministries." Its General Board of Church and Society lists important issues on its website, including abolition of torture, stewardship of the Earth, opposition to the death penalty, support of certain abortion rights, support of human-needs programs, and providing health care and support for immigrants.

Black Protestants:

even more Democratic

20,445 adherents in the Columbus metropolitan area

Nationwide in 2012, 89 percent are Democrats (versus 78 percent in 2007), and 7 percent are Republican (versus 10 percent in 2007).

They make up 16 percent of Democratic voters and 1 percent of Republican voters.

Issues: The National Baptist Convention USA lists several on its website, including education, Medicaid and Medicare, unemployment benefits, health-care benefits, judicial injustice for minorities, student-loan interest rates, home foreclosures, middle-class tax relief and children and family services.

The convention expressed concerns about access to the vote and has partnered with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in a "This is My Vote" campaign. "Millions of people are hard at work to take from you and me what they didn't want you or me to have in the first place -- the right to vote," the website says.

Muslims: still Democratic

15,578 adherents (estimated) in the Columbus metropolitan area

Nationwide in 2011, 70 percent were Democrats (versus 63 percent in 2007) and 11 percent were Republicans (same as 2007).

Issues: Muslims care about economic recovery, job creation, the national debt, student loans and college tuition -- many of the same concerns as the general population, said Hannah L. Tyler of the Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Foreign policy -- "a lot of Muslims have family and friends living in countries that have been negatively affected by U.S. foreign-policy decisions" -- also is key, she said. And "we hope that the next president makes his commitment to religious pluralism and freedom clear, and that no one minority is singled out for cheap political points."

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons):

even more Republican

12,682 adherents in the Columbus metropolitan area

Nationwide in 2012, 79 percent are with the GOP (versus 68 percent in 2008), and 19 percent are Democrats (same as 2008).

They make up 3 percent of Republican voters and 1 percent of Democratic voters.

Issues: Mormons believe that homosexuality should be discouraged by society and that abortion is morally wrong. According to polls and analyses by The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, members support smaller government and fewer services and are about evenly split on whether immigrants strengthen or burden the U.S. About 55 percent say they believe that Americans are ready to elect a Mormon president.

Jews: still Democratic, but Republicans gaining

10,001 adherents (of various denominations) in the Columbus metropolitan area

Nationwide in 2012, 66 percent are Democrats (versus 72 percent in 2008), and 28 percent are Republicans (versus 20 percent in 2008).

They make up 3 percent of Democratic voters and 1 percent of Republican voters.

Issues: For most Jewish voters, the main concern is U.S. relations with Israel, said Joyce Garver Keller, executive director of Ohio Jewish Communities. "Support for a safe and secure Israel and opposition to a nuclear Iran, which threatens that security, is No. 1 on our agenda," she said.

Also important are education, the economy and the care of at-risk populations, which include the frail and elderly (including Holocaust survivors); the poor, homeless and hungry; and people with mental illness and physical and developmental disabilities. Ohio has only about 150,000 Jews, but they vote in large numbers, Keller said.

Religiously unaffiliated: still Democratic

Nationwide in 2012, 63 percent are Democrats (versus 55 percent in 2007), 26 percent are Republicans versus 23 percent in 2007).

They make up 24 percent of Democratic voters and 11 percent of Republican voters.

Issues: Majorities of the religiously unaffiliated tend to believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases, homosexuality should be accepted by society, the government is too involved in morality, stricter environmental laws are worth the cost, and the government should concentrate on problems at home versus abroad.