The voting outcome in Texas would be dramatically affected if the 24.8 million (37%) of the Latinos in the state voted. The “Sleeping Giant” as they are often referred to, puzzle politicians who election after election try and capture their vote without quite figuring out how to engage them politically. The Latino Vote would have a major impact if they went to the polls. Hispanics typically vote Democrat, and if they voted they could potentially turn the Republican state of Texas, to a Democrat state.
Many factors are attributed to the Sleeping Giant’s political inactivity. Their age is partly to blame, citing that 36 percent of the state’s 6.7 million Latinos were not of voting age a decade ago. But even if they are of age many in their 20s are just not engaged politically. In the last presidential election Latinos lagged behind other ethnic groups in voter turnout. Experts say Latinos face many different obstacles such as high poverty rates and low level of education. Many Latinos work long hours or multiple jobs to provide for their families, some are in survival mode, and political issues may not top their list.
The voting outcome in Texas would be dramatically affected if the 24.8 million (37%) of the Latinos in the state voted.
Hispanics have the power of the people without the voice to speak for them. The Democrats obtain the Latino vote without much effort, partly by default because the Republican Party is usually against issues that matter to the Latino public like immigration reform. Bob Stein, a political science professor at Rice University sums it up about right, “It’s not that Hispanics aren’t probably pro-life. It’s not that they aren’t pro-choice,” Stein says. “But those are not things that will motivate them to vote Republican when they are unemployed, don’t have health insurance and their schools are terrible.”
