POWER OF THE LATINO VOTE
RAQUEL DONOSO
LATINO COMMUNITY
FOUNDATION
"People keep talking about the
power of the Latino vote. But the
truth is that 2012 was just the tip
of the iceberg. We are not yet
tapping into the full potential of
the Latino community.”
-Eva Longoria to Associated Press
May 5, 2014
Latino Vote: United States
• In 2004 Latinos were 8% of the electorate, in
2012 it was 10%
• Only 59% of eligible Latinos register to vote and
only 48% went to the polls
• 50% of all eligible Latino voters are under 40
• 66,000 American Latinos turn 18 every month,
that is approximately 800,000 a year
90% of American
Latinos under 29
consume information
in English
Latino Vote: California
• 6 million Latinos are eligible to vote in
California—the largest Latino eligible voter
population nationally. Texas ranks 2nd with 4.2
million.
• 26% of California eligible voters are Latino!
• 42% of Latinos in California are eligible to vote. By
contrast, 80% of the state’s white population is
eligible to vote.
Latino Vote: California
Age
▫ Latino eligible voters are young.
▫ 35% of Latino eligible voters are ages 18 to 29.
Educational Attainment
▫ 26% of eligible Latino voters have not obtained at
least a high school diploma.
Homeownership
▫ Latino eligible voters are highly likely, 57%, to live in
owner-occupied homes than Black (40%) eligible
voters in California, but they are less likely to do so
than Asian (67%) or White (66%) eligible voters in
California.
Only 2 out of 5 eligible California
Latinos voted in the 2012
Presidential Election
Why It Matters
Initiative Process
▫ Californians have adopted 115 initiatives,
including 64 laws and 42 constitutional
amendments
▫ Initiatives need only a simple majority of
the vote to pass, and they usually pass only
by narrow margins
▫ In 2014, there will be 2 initiatives on the
June Ballot and at least 4 on the November
Ballot
Why It Matters
In 2014 California Will Determine Control
of the State:
▫ All 8 state executive offices are up,
including Governor
▫ 53 Congressional seats
▫ 20 even-numbered state senate seats
▫ All 80 state assembly seats
“Latinos are
punching below
their weight”
-Pew Hispanic Center