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The Latina
Electorate
and Latina
Voters in
Election
2008 |
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Special Feature:
Latinas and the
2008 Elections
Update |
Latinas
have the potential to play an
important role as voters in
Election 2008.
At least
9.1 million Latinas are U.S.
citizens who are 18 years or
older – the population of
Latinas who are generally
eligible to register to vote and
cast ballots in November’s
Presidential election. U.S.
Census data from 2006 - the most
recent available - present a
portrait of this diverse and
relatively youthful Latina
electorate.
Latino national origin and sub-groups:
The Latina
electorate includes women from a
wide range of Latino national
origin and sub-groups. Over half
are Mexican (56%), 15% are
Puerto Rican, 5% are either
Cuban, Central American or South
American, and 3% are Dominican.
(Figure
1).
State: More than three-quarters
(82%) of the Latina electorate
resides in nine states –
Arizona, California, Colorado,
Florida, Illinois, New Jersey,
New Mexico, New York, and Texas.
California and Texas are home to
nearly half of these Latinas
(47%), and about one out 10
reside in either Florida or New
York
(See
Figure 2).
Age:
Latinas are a relatively young
electorate – nearly one out of
five (18%) are 18-24 years old,
and 40% are under the age of 35.
About one out of four (23%) are
55 years or older. In contrast,
only 12% of the non-Latina
female electorate are 18-24
years old, and only 27% are
under the age of 35. Over one-third
(35%) are 55 years or older
(Figure
3).
Citizenship status:
Naturalized citizen Latinas
comprise a significant share of
the Latina electorate – about
one out of four, or 27%
(Figure 4),
and in recent Presidential
elections, naturalized Latinas
tend to have higher voter
turnout rates than the Latina
native-born. In contrast, only
6% of non-Latinas in the female
electorate are naturalized
citizens.
Education:
About three-fourths (72%) of the
Latina electorate who are age 25
or older have either completed
high school or pursued higher
education
(Figure 5).
However, a significant share
(28%) did not complete high
school, suggesting that Latinas
confront the same challenges of
educational achievement that
face the Latino community as a
whole.
The Latina Voter
Latinos are the nation’s fastest
growing electorate, and the
number of Latina voters has
grown steadily during the last
three Presidential elections –
in 1996, 2.7 million Latinas
cast ballots, compared to 4.1
million in 2004, a 51% increase.
In comparison, the non-Latina
female vote grew by only 18%
during this period, and the
Latina share of all female
voters increased modestly from
5% to 6%.
In the
last three Presidential
elections, female voters have
tended to turnout in slightly
higher rates than male voters,
and Latina turnout rates have
been slightly higher than the
comparable rates for male
Latinos. For example, in 2004,
49% of the Latina electorate
cast ballots, compared to 45% of
the male Latino electorate
(Figure 6).
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While the number of
Latina voters has been
increasing, Latinas are
still not fully engaged
in the political process.
For example, in November
2004, 40% of Latina U.S.
citizens were not
registered to vote, and
18% of those registered
did not cast ballots in
the election.
Figure 7
shows the gap between
the number of Latina U.S.
citizens, registered
voters, and actual
voters. Had every
eligible Latina
registered to vote and
voted in the last
Presidential election,
the Latina turnout would
have increased by 4.2
million, and the total
Latino voter turnout
would have grown by 35%.
Latinas are eager to
make their voices heard
about the same issues
that concern all
Americans – education,
the economy, and the war
in Iraq. In addition,
the intensity of our
national debate over the
future of our
immigration policy
served as one catalyst
for the dramatic
increase in Latinos
applying for
naturalization since
last year. This momentum
may well carry through
to November. We project
that a record number of
Latinas – at least 5
million – will cast
their ballots on
Election Day.
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