The Power of the Hispanic Votes in Elective Positions in US - Research Paper Example

Abstract

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanic or Latino are people whose culture, nationality and heritage have a historical association with Spain or Mexico. When it comes to politics, the Hispanic community plays an integral in deciding the outcomes of elections for various elective positions. In the United States, there are the tendencies of Democrats and Republicans employing different tactics to woo the votes of Latinos during each election year. The Heritage of the Hispanic community is widely integrated into the United States. In 1968, the Congress president, Lyndon Johnson to declare a National Hispanic Heritage Week. This was an act of recognizing the growing influence of the people with Hispanic origins in the United States.

As at the end of 2014, the Hispanic population was estimated to be 55 million. This indicated that people from Hispanic origin form the largest ethnic minority in the nation. The trends in the Hispanic voter participation depicts trends which can be used in assessing their significance in the election results. Latino involvement in the elections held in the United States has been increasing consistently. Democratic primaries in 2004 attested that the share of the Latino had increased in different states, with Texas and California recording a significant portion of the Hispanic vote share. Since 2004, there are significant trends portrayed by Hispanic voter registration. The growing number of Latinos getting registered to participate in the election process reveals a rising importance of the Hispanic votes. The previous five presidential election cycles demonstrated an increasing support of the Latinos for Democratic presidential candidates, as compared to a given Republican presidential candidates. There is, therefore, the need of exploring various factors associated with voting trends in the United States.

Chapter One: Introduction

Background Study

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanic or Latino are people whose culture, nationality and heritage have a historical association with Spain or Mexico, Puerto Rico, South and Central America. When it comes to politics, the Hispanic community plays an integral in deciding the outcomes of elections for various elective positions. In the United States, there are the tendencies of Democrats and Republicans employing different tactics to woo the votes of Latinos during each election year. The Heritage of the Hispanic community is widely integrated into the United States. In 1968, the Congress president, Lyndon Johnson to declare a National Hispanic Heritage Week. This was an act of recognizing the growing influence of the people with Hispanic origins in the United States.

Recent census reports indicate that the population of the Hispanic people is growing at a higher rate as a compared to the numbers of other minority population in the United States. In 2014, the Latinos were estimated to be 55 million, which was equivalent to a 17% of the entire US population (KROGSTAD, LOPEZ, & LOPEZ, 2016). This prompted the Census Bureau to project that by 2060, the population of the Hispanic people would have grown to over 28% of the US population, which would be close to 120 million Latinos, residing in the United States. The estimates further indicate that two-thirds of the Latinos in the United States are affiliated to the Mexican backgrounds. The Hispanic people are spread in various states with California State boasting of the largest number (15 million) of people from Hispanic origins.

The growing number of Hispanic people residing in the United States is an indication of their growing influence not only in socioeconomic aspects but also in the political setup of the nation. When the voting trends of the Latinos are put in perspective since 1980, it is revealed that the Democratic candidates have benefited greater from the Hispanic votes than the Republican candidate. However, the affiliation of the Hispanics to Democratic principles are changing as depicted in 2008, 2012 and 2016 presidential elections. After hunting Hispanic vote for long, the Republicans have started gaining on the numbers of votes gotten from this ethnic group in the United States.

Florida and California states have become seasoned battlegrounds in the presidential elections, which is attributed to a significant role played by Hispanic voters when it comes to deciding the outcomes of the elections. In 2016 US elections, the Latinos recorded a larger number of registered voters than the previous elections. According to the Pew Research Center, it was reported that there is a shift in Hispanic electorate vote profiling as depicted by their changing voting patterns (VARELA, 2015). The trends in the Hispanic voter participation illustrates trends which can be used in assessing their significance in the election results. Latino involvement in the elections held in the United States has been increasing consistently. Democratic primaries in 2004 attested that the share of the Latino had increased in different states, with Texas and California recording a significant portion of the Hispanic vote share.

Since 2004, there are important trends portrayed by Hispanic voter registration. The growing number of Latinos getting registered to participate in the election process reveals a rising importance of the Hispanic votes. The previous five presidential election cycles demonstrated an increasing support of the Latinos for Democratic presidential candidates, as compared to the given to the Republican presidential candidates (KROGSTAD, LOPEZ, & LOPEZ, 2016). In Florida, the state is characterized by a large voting bloc of the Cubans, which makes Florida to be considered a Republican stronghold. For instance, in 2004, President George W. Bush was able to triumph not only for a Hispanic vote but also the state elections. However, there were significant changes in 2008 and 2012 presidential elections in which Barack Obama, a Democrat Presidential candidate, emerged the winner in Florida which was previously perceived to be a territory for the Republicans.

The number of registered voters, who are not affiliated with any political party has also risen in various states in the United States. For instance, in 2014, 4.8 million were living in Florida, making it be the third largest state with a high population of people with a Hispanic origin, with California and Texas being the leading states. Among all Floridians, it is revealed that the number of the Democrats who are legit registered voters was more than the Republicans, which was later depicted in the 2016 Presidential elections (VARELA, 2015). In Miami-Dade County, which is the home for over 46% Americans with Cuban origin, the Republicans still outnumbered the Democrats regarding the registered voters. In 2016, there were 260000 and 213000 Republicans and Democrats respectively. As for the Hispanic registered voters for the last one decade, it is demonstrated that Democrats is growing at the higher percentage (62%) than the Republicans.

It can, therefore, be asserted that Hispanic voters have a huge influence, in the US presidential elections. Their population is growing at a fast rate, which when translated into votes, indicating that they are a game changer in the field of politics. The 2012 and 2016 elections demonstrated the significance of the Hispanic votes in the United States. In his last term, Barack Obama garnered an estimated 72% of the Hispanic votes (Lee, 2016). These statistics and other notable elements in the election cycle is an indication that the Hispanic vote is significant in the results of the presidential race. In 2016 elections, it was earlier projected that Hillary Clinton was enjoying a 60% support of the Latinos as compared to a 14% Hispanic preference on Donald Trump. However, there were some surprises in the eventual results of the 2016 presidential Donald Trump emerging, culminated with voting patterns that demonstrated a significant percentage of the Hispanic voters shifting their allegiance towards the Republicans.

Statement of the Problem.

Apparently, the population of the Hispanic people is growing at a higher rate as a compared to the numbers of other minority population in the United States. In 2014, the Latinos were estimated to be 55 million, which was equivalent to a 17% of the entire US population (KROGSTAD, LOPEZ, & LOPEZ, 2016). This prompted the Census Bureau to project that by 2060, the population of the Hispanic people would have grown to over 28% of the US population, which would be close to 120 million Latinos, residing in the United States. The estimates further indicate that two-thirds of the Latinos in the United States are affiliated to the Mexican backgrounds. The Hispanic people are spread in various states with California State boasting of the largest number (15 million) of people from Hispanic origins.

The growing population of the Hispanic people is an indication of their growing influence and power in socio-political aspects in the United States. This research is therefore focused on exploring the power of the Hispanic vote in US election. This will involve researching on the economic, political and social expectations of the Latinos whenever they vote. The study also concentrates on analyzing the voting trends of the Hispanic people in various elective positions in different US elections. With Democratic and Republic parties being the dominant political factions in the United States, the research also explored the allegiance and perceptions of the principles adopted by different political parties and candidates in respect to their socio-economic welfare. All these aspects will be vital in unraveling and demonstrating the importance and power of the Hispanic votes in US elections.

The purpose of the Study.

The goal of this research is to demonstrate the power of the Hispanic votes when it comes to the outcomes of various elective positions in US elections. The growing number of Hispanic people residing in the United States is an indication of their growing influence not only in socioeconomic aspects but also in the political setup of the nation. When the voting trends of the Latinos are put in perspective since 1980, it is revealed that the Democratic candidates have benefited greater from the Hispanic votes than the Republican candidate. However, the affiliation of the Hispanics to Republican ideologies are changing as depicted in 2008, 2012 and 2016 presidential elections. After hunting Hispanic vote for long, the Republicans have started gaining on the numbers of votes gotten from this ethnic group in the United States. The Hispanic community forms a big portion of the minority people, thus creating...