Latino voters become fastest growing racial voting bloc since last midterm

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Election Day is now two weeks away and this year, Latino voters are growing as a voting bloc.

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“We’re focusing on making sure people understand the importance registering to a party,” said Florida voter Nancy Batista.

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“It’s really about understanding how everything that involves our lives is impacted by politics,” said Florida voter Eneca Gomez Dehala.

According to the Pew Research Center, there are now 34.5 million eligible Latino voters. The research shows an increase of nearly five million eligible voters since the last midterms, making Latinos the fastest-growing racial group of voters in the country.

This research shows registered Latino voters are still more likely to support the Democratic candidate over the Republican candidate in their U.S. House district race. But during the 2020 election, experts say then-President Donald Trump won over about 40 percent of these voters.

“If those gains are kept by the Republican party, or if we see some Hispanics returned to the Democratic party, that that is really one of the big questions that a lot of people are wondering about,” said Jens Manuel Krogstad, Senior writer and editor at the Pew Research Center

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Researchers are also watching where undecided voters will fall.

“It’s about one in five Hispanic registered voters who are undecided more than one in five,” said Krogstad. “So, there’s a large number of Hispanics who tell us they haven’t made up their mind yet.”

Turnout rates may be a deciding factor as well.

“Traditionally, Hispanics have tended to have lower voter turnout rates than white and Black eligible voters,” said Krogstad. “In previous midterm elections, the Hispanic voter turnout rate has been around a third.”

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A majority of Latino voters are in California, Texas and Florida. But experts say there’s been growth in North Carolina and Georgia.

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