Political Participation - Hispanic Political Participation

Factors Contributing to Low Political Participation

There was a tremendous increase in the Hispanic population in the United States during the 1970s (more than 60 percent) and the 1980s (53 percent), resulting in a population of thirty-two million Hispanic persons in the United States in 2000. However, the Hispanic community, according to some observers, has not attained political power equal to its proportion of the population. Two characteristics of Hispanic demography help to account for this. First, although the Hispanic voting-age population grew by more than 50 percent, Hispanics have a young population, with many in the eighteen-to twenty-four-year-old category—the age group least likely to vote. In addition, a smaller proportion of Hispanics than of society as a whole are in the fifty-five and older category—the age group most likely to vote. Second, and perhaps more important, is U.S. citizenship. About 40 percent of adult Hispanics living in the United States are not U.S. citizens, thus eliminating more than five million potential Hispanic voters.

Political Participation

Civil rights gains of the 1960s, such as the 24th Amendment eliminating the poll tax, the extension of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to the Southwest, and the elimination of the English literacy requirement, helped a number of Hispanics attain political office. During the 1970s both major political parties started wooing Hispanic voters and drafting Hispanic candidates. Advocacy groups, such as the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the Southwest Voter Registration Project, and the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Educational Fund, were formed. All these helped develop the political influence of the Hispanic community.

The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) is a research, policy, and education organization dedicated to "developing and implementing programs that promote the integration of Latino immigrants into American society, developing future leaders among Latino youth, providing assistance and training to the nation's Latino elected and appointed officials and … conducting research on issues important to the Latino population." In 2004 the NALEO Educational Fund announced that it was collaborating with Univision Communications Inc. in a program aimed at mobilizing Hispanic voters throughout the United States. The "Voces del Pueblo" campaign would include nonpartisan public service announcements on radio and television as well as voter education forums, phone contact, and targeted mailings. According to Ivelisse Estrada of Univision, "With the significant growth of the Latino population in the U.S. and the increasing number of Latinos registering to vote, the U.S. Hispanic community's ability to influence the course of our nation can no longer be ignored. Now more than ever, Latinos are demonstrating that they are key players on the political stage. With this campaign we have the opportunity to listen to Latino voters and identify their concerns."

Hispanic Republicans

The Republican Party has not only courted African-Americans but has also turned its attention to Hispanic voters, who are an increasing proportion of the voting public. The party is appealing to traditional family values that are very important to Hispanic families. Cuban Americans, spurred by anticommunist sentiment against Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, have long tended to be Republicans, but now other Hispanic voters have also begun to show more interest in the Republican Party. In the 2002 Florida gubernatorial election, Governor Jeb Bush received 55 percent of the non-Cuban Hispanic vote, the most ever for a Republican.