The Latino Vote
Over the last 30 years, the Latino vote has proven decisive in mayoral elections from New York to Los Angeles, in gubernatorial elections from Florida to Washington, and in the presidential elections of Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden. The Latino vote has continued on its path towards exponential growth, demonstrated by the change in voter turnout from 2016-2020. From 2016-2020, the Latino vote grew from 15,267,000 registered voters to 18,719,000 registered voters and from a 12,682,000 voter turnout to a 16,459,000 voter turnout (see Table 2.1). Voter registration and reach out to the Latino community will continue to increasingly become vital to future elections.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Census Bureau has had to adjust its strategy. Because of these difficult circumstances, local and state organizations have also stepped up to assist in collecting data by conducting outreach, especially in Hispanic communities. The importance of state involvement in the counting of the national census was also crucial in collecting the most accurate count. In the case of Illinois, around 30 million dollars were invested in ensuring the Illinois Census was able to minimize losses in Congressional representation. Continued investment in Hispanic communities will be key in ensuring they receive their visibility, political power, and financial growth that has often gone to the wayside.