Report finds Hispanic voter participation outpacing non-Hispanics in key states

Hispanic voter registration and turnout rates are increasing at a faster clip than rates for the general population, particularly in key 2020 states, according to an analysis of voter data published by Univision on Wednesday.

The report found that, from 2014 to 2018, Hispanic voter turnout increased at a faster pace than non-Hispanic turnout in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

{mosads}In Arizona, 345,000 Hispanics voted in 2018, twice the 173,000 who voted in 2014. 

Although voter turnout in the 2018 midterms was generally much higher than in 2014, the 100 percent increase in Arizona’s Hispanic participation doubled the 52 percent increase among non-Hispanics.

Numbers in other states included in the report also show large increases in Hispanic participation.

In North Carolina, a state where President Trump beat Hillary Clinton by fewer than 200,000 votes, Hispanic participation growth between 2014 and 2018 more than quadrupled the growth of non-Hispanics.

Younger Hispanic voters turned out in much greater numbers in all the states in the report, in some cases overwhelmingly so. In Georgia, 18- to 24-year-old Hispanic voter participation rose 701 percent from 2014 to 2018.

“Hispanic America turned out in unprecedented numbers in 2018 across all age groups and we expect that trend to continue into the 2020 election cycle,” said Univision CEO Vince Sandusky in a statement.

The report comes amid the controversy surrounding the Trump administration’s efforts to add a citizenship question on the U.S. census. Critics argue adding the citizenship question could decrease participation in the census by Hispanic households, which could effect how legislative districts are drawn and how federal money is divided up and apportioned.

The Univision report also shows that more new Hispanic people are registering to vote in many states.

In New Mexico, nearly half of new registrations for 2018 were Hispanic, as were one in three new Arizona registrations, and one in five Colorado registrations.

Low voter registration has historically dogged the Hispanic electorate, as multiple factors, including historical geographic concentration in relatively few states, have disincentivized Hispanic electoral participation.

Univision put out a report in April, showing triple-digit growth in Hispanic voter participation in the states with the largest Latino populations: California, Florida, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New York and Texas.

“This new data from seven additional states further demonstrates that Hispanic voters are a crucial demographic and any candidate or issue group that wants to win must get their message out to Latinos,” said Sandusky.

Hispanic voters are participating at higher rates, regardless of party affiliation.

While Democratic turnout is increasing more rapidly overall than Republican turnout, independent Hispanic voter turnout growth outpaced Democratic growth in all states surveyed.

In Ohio, for instance, Hispanic independent turnout increased 133 percent (the increase among non-Hispanic independents was 63 percent) while Republican Hispanic turnout increased 70 percent and Democratic Hispanic turnout increased 60 percent.

Democratic Hispanic turnout growth outpaced Republican growth in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

The numbers reflect an increasingly energized Hispanic electorate, as participation increases outpace the demographic growth of Hispanic communities nationwide.