9% of voters are immigrants; Latinos now largest minority group, study says
Marco Antonio Rivera, 50, of Fort Worth, said he’s going to vote for the first time on Nov. 3. He and his wife immigrated to the United States 25 years ago from Delicias, Chihuahua, Mexico, and became citizens more than a decade ago, but they never cared about who was in the White House until now.
“Its horrible what these politicians say about immigrants and we need to make sure they know that we’re fed up,” Rivera said in Spanish on Friday outside La Gran Plaza in south Fort Worth.
“I don’t know why every time the president or any other politician wants to talk bad about immigrants they pick on Mexicans. We’re not the only ones here, there’s millions of us from all around the world.”
Immigrants will make up 9.3% of the electorate in November, according to the New American Economy, a bipartisan research organization advocating for immigration policies that help the U.S. economy. The organization took census data from the American Community Survey and compared eligible voters in 2010 and 2018.
The study found voters in this year’s election will be the most diverse and well-educated in U.S history.
Nationwide, non-Hispanic whites without a college degree represented 51% of voters in 2010, but had fallen to 44.6% by 2018, according to the study.
Hispanics make up 12.7% of voters, an increase of nearly 3% since 2010, making them the largest minority group in the U.S. electorate. Blacks make up 12.5% of the electorate.
Richard Pineda, a political analyst and chairman of communications at the University of Texas at El Paso, said the changing demographics mean institutions and political parties must update how they engage voters.
“They’re going to have to consider culturally and linguistically sensitive ways to reach new populations of folks that could become voters,” Pineda said. “So despite public posturing, the idea of being culturally sensitive in government policy will still have to be significant.”
Pineda said the million-dollar question is if these populations will show an inclination to vote, volunteer, and make campaign contributions.
Rigoberto Reyes, 41, of Fort Worth has never voted.
“I’m just not interested,” Reyes said while standing outside La Gran Plaza.
He said his 17-year-old daughter has been pushing him to register and to vote in the presidential election but he’s not sure if he’ll do it.
Monday is the last day to register to vote in Texas.
Latinos make up about 30% of the electorate in Texas, but of those 5.6 million voters, only 28% voted the 2016 presidential election, compared to 48% of whites.
One of the reasons why Latinos don’t go to the polls is because sporadic outreach by campaigns leaves many Latinos feeling like their vote doesn’t matter or that political leaders don’t care about their experiences or perspectives, according to a recent study titled Real Talk: Understanding Texas Latino Voters Through Meaningful Conversation.
The study was conducted by Culture Concepts LLC, a private research consultancy, and the Texas Organizing Project Education Fund, a nonprofit group focused on organizing Black and Latino communities in Dallas, Harris and Bexar counties.
Researchers conducted in-depth interviews with 104 eligible Latino voters, half men and half women, over 18 months. Of the total surveyed who disclosed party affiliation, 43 identified as Democrat, 21 as Republican and 39 as independent.
Leonardo Martinez, 40, of Fort Worth, said he’s voting for Democrat Joe Biden for president. He said he’s always voted in the presidential elections but does not have a party affiliation.
“I don’t think it’s about Republicans or Democrats winning, it’s about the issues that the candidates represent,” Martinez said. “I think Biden will fight for education and for the working class and that’s what I care about.”
The study found that three key factors drive voter engagement and participation among Latino voters: civic empowerment and belonging, voting habits and immersion in voting communities, and responsive government.
More than 1,600 Latino voters in the U.S. have been surveyed by National Association of Latino Elected Officials Education Fund in the past four weeks.
About 74% of respondents say they are almost certain they will vote in the 2020 presidential election. Nearly one in three say they have been contacted by a representative from a political party, campaign or other organization. About 59% were contacted by Democrats, 59% by Republicans and 37% by a non-partisan civic organization.
The three main issues among those surveyed: access to affordable health care, improving the economy and bringing the country together.
“As the second-largest population in the country, Latinos will be pivotal in the outcome of the 2020 election,” wrote Arturo Vargas, head of the Educational Fund in a news release. “Because of this reality, it is critical that the candidates and parties engage Latino voters and that elections officials make it clear to Latinos their options on how to vote safely.”
