West LA Times

The UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute has released new state-by-state briefs titled "Election 2024: Key Facts About Latino Voters," which provide insights into the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of Latino voters across key states. This release comes as the 2024 general election approaches, with an estimated 36.2 million Latinos eligible to vote this year, marking a significant increase from 32.3 million in 2020.

"This growing demographic not only underscores the increasing political influence of Latino voters but also highlights the necessity of targeted engagement and outreach," stated Rodrigo Dominguez-Villegas, director of research at the institute. He emphasized the importance of understanding and addressing Latino voters' unique needs as crucial for shaping future leadership in the nation.

The data briefs include information on various aspects such as country of origin, languages spoken, educational attainment, wages, access to healthcare and insurance, homeownership, transportation, internet connectivity, and smartphone use among Latino voters. The data is sourced from the institute's Latino Data Hub and the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

In Arizona, there are 1.3 million eligible Latino voters making up a quarter of the state's electorate. Most are younger than average voters in Arizona and have Mexican descent. Nearly half are bilingual Spanish speakers.

Nevada's eligible Latino voter population stands at 450,000 or 21% of its electorate. The state remains a battleground with unpredictable polling trends.

California's diverse Latino population includes growing groups from Central and South America alongside a majority Mexican American community. Despite this diversity, turnout among Latinos is lower compared to other racial or ethnic groups.

Florida holds about 3.3 million eligible Latino voters who constitute one-fifth of its electorate. These voters have higher educational attainment than national averages; however, language remains a significant factor with high rates of Spanish speakers particularly noted in Miami-Dade County.

Juliana Phan, co-author of these briefs and research analyst at UCLA LPPI remarked on the significance of understanding diverse characteristics within this voter group: "No two states are alike... Effective voter mobilization strategies that address language barriers [and] educational disparities...are essential."