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A new study out by the Pew Hispanic Center shows that a record 6.6 million Latinos voted in last year’s mid-term elections. This finding disputes some earlier reports that Latino’s stayed home and also signals the influence they can exert in the upcoming Presidential elections.
The last Pew study taken in 2006 showed that 5.6 million Hispanic voted in the preceding mid-term elections. Pew attributes the increase to a substantial amount of Latinos reaching vote age and exercising their right to vote.
Hispanics also made up a larger portion of eligible voters. In 2006 they represented 5.8 percent of 96 million voters now they represent 6.9 percent of the 96.1 million eligible U.S. voters.
The rate of population growth recorded in the census will be providing new voters to the eligible electorate for years to come. Between 2006 and 2010, 600,000 Latinos turned 18, while 1.4 million foreign-born Hispanics became citizens.
