Hispanic Voter Participation Grows Faster Than National Average: Report

A voter prepares their ballot at a polling station during early voting in Los Angeles on Nov. 1, 2022. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)

The number of Hispanic voters participating in national and local elections is projected to increase significantly in 2024.

More than 17.5 million Hispanic voters are likely to participate in November’s elections, Arturo Vargas, the CEO of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund said in a Feb. 14 presentation. That’s up 6.5 percent from 2020 and a 38.3 percent increase from 2016.

The largest increases will be seen in Nevada, which is projected to experience a 15.5 percent increase from 2020, Florida with 13.8 percent, and New York with 12.4 percent, according to NALEO Education Fund data.

The organization projects that the increase in Hispanic turnout will far exceed the 1.5 percent uptick it expects in overall voting.

According to NALEO statistics dating back to 2000, Hispanic participation steadily grows in every general election year. In 2000, about 5.9 million Hispanic voters cast ballots.

The NALEO Education Fund identifies itself as a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that “facilitates the full participation of Latinos in the American political process.”

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NALEO, which was founded as a Democrat organization in 1976, became nonpartisan in 1978.

Like most voters, according to Mr. Vargas, Hispanic Americans have reported that the economy is their top political issue. With a number of competitive races along with the presidential race to be on the ballot in November, he expects both parties will work hard to court the voting bloc.

“Many of those districts will have a Latino electorate that will be decisive in the outcome,” he said.

Mr. Vargas noted that the NALEO data suggest that as many as 88 percent of Hispanic citizens who are registered to vote will actually cast ballots. Both parties will be interested in registering those eligible voters.

“The number of Latinos eligible to vote is growing much faster than any other population in the electorate,” he said.

President Joe Biden. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)/Former President Donald Trump. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Swing States

Swing states that are likely to be crucial to the outcome of national races, such as the presidential election, are also expected to see notable increases.

Arizona, which President Joe Biden carried in 2020 after years of consistent Republican victories, is forecasted to see a 5.1 percent increase with more than 855,000 Hispanic voters participating. That’s a 57.5 percent increase from the about 543,000 that voted in 2016.

The Grand Canyon State will assign 11 votes to the Electoral College in 2024.

Georgia, which also flipped for President Joe Biden in 2020, is expected to see a 9.3 percent increase in Hispanic voters, bringing the total to more than 194,000. That’s a 20.8 percent increase from 2016.

The Peach State will assign 16 electoral votes in 2024.

Florida, which saw its electoral vote count rise yet again to 30, is an essential state to watch in every presidential election.

According to U.S. Census Bureau statistics published in July 2023, 27.1 percent of the more than 22.6 million people living in Florida identify as Hispanic. More than 2 million Hispanic Floridians are forecasted to vote in 2024. That’s a 31.2 percent increase from 2016.

According to U.S. Census Bureau’s findings from its 2020 census, about 62 million people, or 18.7 percent of the recorded 331.4 million Americans, were reported as Hispanic or Latino.

The Census Bureau also reported that the Hispanic population of the United States grew by 23 percent from the 2010 to 2020 census.