Press Archive

U.S. Latinos Cast Record Number of Votes

San Antonio, TX - Preliminary estimates by the William C. Velásquez Institute (WCVI) showed Latinos cast a record number of ballots in the 2000 General Election. Latinos cast 5.5 million votes in the 2000 election, an increase of 572,000 votes or 11.6% over the '96 elections. Latinos represented 5.2% of the total vote a modest increase compared to 1996.

The 5.5 million represented a 71.4% rate of turnout of the estimated 7.7 million Latinos registered voters. "Once again, Latinos demonstrated a clear trend of increasing participation. Despite the fact that the three states with the largest Latino electorates, California, Texas and New York were considered "out of play" in the race for the presidency, U.S. Latino participation grew at a rapid rate compared to 1996," said WCVI president Antonio Gonzalez.

The William C. Velásquez Institute (WCVI) is a non-partisan Latino public policy and research think tank that examines Latino electoral trends. Since its founding in 1985, WCVI has been at the forefront Latino research in the areas of civic and economic empowerment. For more information, please refer to the website at www.wcvi.org.