--Latinos historically always have a low voter turnout- even if eligible

Despite the increased role of Latino voters in determining elections and vast evidence showing the crucial role of long-term and sustained contact for their turnout, the mobilization of Latino voters has frequently lagged behind other major demographic groups.1 This, coupled with other systemic barriers has kept many Latinos away from exercising their right to vote. Even though Latinos’ share of the electorate has rapidly grown in the past decade, a large turnout gap between Latino voters and those of other racial groups remains. In this data brief, we quantify the size of the turnout gap between Latinos and other groups in the 2020 election. Comparing the number of eligible, registered, and actual voters we illuminate whether the turnout gap between Latino voters and others is due to lower registration rates or to lower mobilization of registered voters. Our main findings are: At the national level: Latinos had the lowest registration rate among racial and ethnic groups during the 2020 general election at 61.1 percent. This was more than 10 percentage points lower than the 72.7% registration rate for all voters regardless of race. However, once registered, 88 percent of Latino voters cast a ballot, which is only 4 percentage points lower than the 92 percent of registered voters who cast a ballot regardless of race. In California: Similar to national-level trends, Latino voters also had the lowest registration rate of all voters in California. Only slightly more than 60 percent of eligible Latino voters registered statewide which is lower than the overall 69.4 percent registration rate. However, just as the trend at the national level, once they are registered, the vast majority of Latino voters cast a ballot, and the gap in turnout between them and the rest of other voters decreases. Close to 91 percent of registered Latinos voted in the 2020 election, just three percentage points lower than the overall rate. Latinos were the only racial or ethnic group whose share of the electorate decreased from eligibility to the ballot box. Latino voter representation dropped from 32% of eligible voters to 28% of registered voters and to 27% of those who voted. At the county level: Turnout rates as a percent of those who registered varied considerably across the 10 counties with the largest Latino populations in California. For Latino voters, turnout rates were highest in Sacramento, Santa Clara, Orange, and Alameda counties (where over 75 percent of registered Latinos voted) and lowest in Kern County (where only 60.2 percent of registered Latinos voted). The gap between county-wide and Latino turnout rates was highest in San Diego County with a 9.5 percentage point difference and lowest in Los Angeles County, with a 4.6 point difference between Latino turnout and overall turnout. San Diego and Alameda counties had overall turnout rates above 80 percent; however, these counties had the largest gaps between the county-wide rate and Latino turnout rates, respectively. Counties should not only aim for high overall voter turnout but also implement targeted mobilization strategies that close the racial and ethnic group turnout gaps (particularly for Latino, Black, and Asian voters). If overall turnout is the only measure of effective voter mobilization, racial and ethnic disparities in voter turnout will likely persist. At the national, state, and county levels, the largest gaps between Latino voters and others lie in registration. Once Latino voters are registered, a turnout gap between them and others exists, but it is much smaller than the registration gap. This shows that further efforts into registration are key to increasing the overall participation rate of Latino voters at all levels. The data in this brief shows that Latinos have the lowest registration and voter turnout rates of all major racial or ethnic groups. Even though other research has shown that the sheer increase in the number of Latinos in the country has led to an increase in their share of the electorate, our data showcases a persistent turnout gap relative to others. In other words, when it comes to electoral power, demography is not destiny. Persistent turnout gaps between Latinos—one of the fastest-growing demographic groups—and the rest will lead to election results that are increasingly unrepresentative of the wishes of many voters. Even though the data presented here does not speak to why Latino voters have lower registration and turnout rates, a large body of research has shown that having sustained and direct face-to-face voter engagement with Latino voters is imperative to get them to the polls. It is up to political parties, election administrators at the state and local level, and community-based organizations to mobilize the untapped opportunity to grow the electorate through deeper engagement with Latino voters.