Latino Voters
A record number of Latinos—nearly 30 million—were eligible to vote in 2020. Of that nearly 30 million, a record 16.5 million voted. If we break down that number by gender, age, immigration status, and origin group a few trends emerge.
Demographic characteristics of Latino eligible voters, 2020
Growing Number of Latino Voters
A record number of Latinos—16.5 million—voted in 2020, up from 12.7 million in 2016. Overall, more than half of all Latino eligible voters cast a ballot in 2020, up from 48% in 2016.
The new voters mostly come from a few specific groups. Women, young people, Latinos born in the U.S., and those of Mexican origin had higher percentages of voters than other groups.
In 2020 Mexican Americans made up nearly 60% of the eligible Latino voting population. Puerto Ricans are the second largest Latino eligible voter group at 13%. They were followed by and Cubans at 5%, and Dominicans at 3%. People of Central American and South American origin made up 7% and 6% of the eligible voter population, respectively.
1992: NCLR President Raul Yzaguirre testifies before Congress in support of the third reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, which updated the law's limited-English proficient language protections implemented in 1975. As Yzaguirre powerfully points out, language access provisions empower every voter in an increasingly multicultural America - including Latino, Asian American and Native American voters. Today, UnidosUS continues to fight for policies that ensure every American's vote counts.
Puerto Rico’s constitution, written in 1952 under the guidance of Governor Luis Munoz Marín, designated the island as a commonwealth. Because Puerto Rico is not a state, its residents cannot vote in federal elections. Puerto Ricans who move to a state are eligible to vote in federal elections as soon as they register to do so.
Latino voter turnout rates by age, 2020
Latino Voter Turn-Out Rates
Voter turn-out rates among Latinos reached 54% in 2020, up from 48% in 2016. This was the highest turn-out since 1992. Still, this means that only about half of the eligible Latino voters voted in recent elections. Within the 54%, women were more likely to vote than men. Half of eligible Latina women voters showed up to the polls, as compared to 45% of men.
Maria Hinojosa on the Latino Voting Bloc
Let’s break down who voted by age. Even though the Latino eligible voter population tends to be younger, older Latinos had better voter turn-out in 2020. Over 63% of the eligible Latino population over age 65 voted in 2020. The 45–64 age group was a close second, with over 60% voting, followed by those 30–44 at 53%. Lastly, the 18–29 age group had a turn-out rate around 44%.
HOLA Ohio supports immigrants throughout the citizenship process, providing access to free legal consultations with a licensed attorney, and free one-on-one tutoring, for individuals preparing for their naturalization interview. Importantly, the organization also helps people register to vote once they become U.S. citizens. One of HOLA's clients not only used her new citizenship to register to vote—she went even further by making a run for a city council seat.
National Latino Eligible Voter Population, 1980-2020
Statewide Trends
At the state level, voter mobilization was especially active in 2020. Organized efforts tried to lure voters to the polls in both historic swing states and the most populous Latino states in the country.
California Latino population in 2020 grew to 37.6%, the highest concentration of Latino residents of any state. California also has the largest number of Latino eligible voters. Its 7.8 million Latino voters skew younger. Over half of the nation’s Latino millennial population lives in California.
California Latino voters and political participants have made history. In 1961, José Julio Sarria became the first openly gay person to run for public office in the U.S. Sarria was unsuccessful in his race for San Francisco Supervisor, but he opened the door for other LGBTQ individuals to run for office.