Why Don't Hispanics Vote... As Much?

By Rob Fernandez

Much is made about the size of the Hispanic population in the United States, now at 45 million and often referred to as the “sleeping giant” in American politics. Everyone knows that Hispanics will be politically important; if not soon, certainly by 2050, when Hispanics will make up 25 percent to 35 percent of the U.S. population, according to various estimates.

Population size, however, has proven time and again to not be the most important factor when measuring the political power of an ethnic group. Rather, voter turnout is key. Cuban Americans are a perfect example: they have a population size of just over 1.5 million yet more than 90 percent are registered and 67 percent reported voting in a recent election, making them one of the most powerful groups politically in the U.S. over the last forty years.

However, despite the Cuban American vote, Hispanics overall vote in fewer numbers than their White and Black counterparts. Because votes are what politicians need to get elected, they naturally spend more time dealing with the issues of those who are likely to vote. Since Hispanics vote in fewer numbers, they have placed themselves at a serious disadvantage in affecting public policy, e.g. in creating laws and policy, and in deciding how the government will spend taxpayer dollars. If Hispanics want politicians to spend more time on public policy issues important to the Hispanic Community, they need to vote in larger numbers.

Over the past 14 national elections, since 1978, 56.4 percent of registered Hispanics voted, compared with 70.9 percent of registered Whites, 71.9 percent of registered non-Hispanic Whites and 65.6 percent of registered Blacks.

Why does this “voting gap” exist? Some might conclude that there is a high degree of apathy, or political laziness, or maybe a lack of national identity among Hispanics when compared to Whites and Blacks. However, these reasons ignore Hispanic’s past life’s experience, which is one of the main reasons for the voting gap, not apathy, laziness, or lack of identity.

Most of the nearly 20 million Hispanics who have immigrated over the past 30 years, calculated from census data, came from impoverished regions in their nations of origin, and are among the least educated and most marginalized within their societies. Immigration studies support these claims. “The poorest of society, please take care of them,” a Mexican friend living in Mexico City pleaded with me recently when urging support for comprehensive immigration reform.

During elections in their countries of origin, political parties would often reach out to the poor, providing them food and drink before driving them to the polling booths with the expectation they would vote for their party. After Election Day, economic circumstances rarely, if ever, changed. For generations, the poor remained poor, uneducated and would carry a larger share of the burdens of society.

In its essence, that is the lifetime political and voting experience for many Latino’s fleeing to the U.S., looking for the chance to feed their families and experience the American Dream. When they become citizens, many simply don’t vote. Should this be much of a surprise?

The truth is that it is hard to attach much importance to voting when issues like insufficient incomes, working two or more jobs, sharing a small apartment with several families to reduce costs, living in a new land without knowing the language, have been realities. Even over time, when Hispanic immigrants have learned English and adapted to American Culture, their political perspective is still framed by their experiences in their native lands - an experience filled with voter neglect, abuse, and comprehensive disenfranchisement which tell them that voting will not change anything.

However, therein lies the golden opportunity – first, in understanding that Hispanics have a different reference point when it comes to voting and politics, and second, in bridging that reference gap. After arriving, Hispanic immigrants are exposed to U.S. democracy in varying degrees, depending on their circumstance. It’s that period between arriving in the U.S. and becoming a citizen that holds an opportunity to achieve long-term increases in Hispanic voter turnout, and hence, achieve long-term Hispanic policy influence.

If Hispanic civic-minded groups and leaders target programs that make an effort to educate Hispanics on U.S. culture and democracy, more Hispanics will come to learn the positive impacts of voting and public policy on their lives and their communities. This will translate into more votes in the future. But this reference gap has to be changed first for there to be a long-term change in the voting gap.

In sum, the Hispanic voting gap is key to greater Hispanic influence in policy because politicians need votes to get elected and reelected to make policy. If Hispanics vote in fewer numbers than their counterparts, and make fewer political donations, politicians will spend less time on Hispanic needs. In the end, greater Hispanic votes mean greater Hispanic influence. It doesn’t matter the population size.

Upon arriving in the US, most Hispanics already have pre-determined views about voting that have been formed by experiences in their native countries –views that are likely to be passed on to their children. Unfortunately, it’s often not a positive experience. By helping Hispanics understand the positive impacts of voting on individuals and the community as whole and overcoming lifetimes of negative correlations with voting and politics, the Hispanic community can awaken itself out of its giant sleep and take control of its own fate.

Rob Fernandez is Chairman & President of The Hispanic Community for Policy (HCP).