Dubbed a unique election year, the 2016 election is including the first real primaries that have a significantly large Hispanic voter population participating in both the Democratic and Republican parties.
In addition, a sizable share of the Hispanic votes may come from millennials who are reaching voting age for the first time, said panelists on March 15 at the HACU 21st Annual National Capitol Forum on Higher Education in Washington, D.C.
Nearly 45 percent of the 27.3 million eligible Hispanic voters are millennials, a higher percentage than the same demographic among Blacks, Asians or Whites.While, historically, Latino and Hispanic voting participation has remained low, this year, minority votes can mean change, said Erin Hustings, senior policy analyst of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. Combined, Latinos and African Americans will account for nearly 12 percent of eligible voters.
"Latinos and African Americans, theoretically, have the power to influence politics in the 2016 election," Hustings said.