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Julian Castro targets minority voters. Could they swing election for Dems?

Julian Castro became the first-ever Latino keynote speaker at the Democratic convention. President Obama enjoys a huge advantage over Mitt Romney in support from minority voters. But to win, he needs to get them to the polls. Here’s a breakdown of the data on minority voters.

3. How are the numbers changing?

Ron Baselice/The Dallas Morning News/AP/File
Ruben Sorto (r.) votes at Irving High School in the Democratic primary runoff election on July 31 in Irving, Texas.

In the next several election cycles, more minorities – particularly Hispanics – will become eligible to vote. Minorities make up the majority of US births, says Frey, and Hispanics themselves accounted for more than half of the total population growth between 2000 and 2010, according to 2010 Census data.

“Every month, more people are turning 18, and a number of those are Hispanics,” Frey says. “This is going to change the country’s demographics every year, creating a more diverse population.”

While minorities make up 29 percent of the electorate today, that number will increase to 46 percent in the next few election cycles, Frey says.

Of US-born children under 18, 54 percent are white, 14 percent black, 23 percent Hispanic, 4 percent Asian, and 5 percent other.

“Ten years from now, the under-30 minority population will be a greater percentage of the vote,” Frey says. “By then both parties are going to realize that this is a coveted voting bloc.”

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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