Article Summary –
“The Latino Century: How America’s Largest Minority is Transforming Democracy” by Mike Madrid discusses the changing dynamics of Latino voter participation in American politics. A marked shift was initiated by California’s Proposition 187, passed thirty years ago, which aimed to deny public services to undocumented immigrants and their children, and sparked a wave of activism among Latinos. Despite common assumptions that Latino voters are primarily motivated by immigration issues, Madrid highlights that they are significantly impacted by economic challenges, with jobs and the economy being primary concerns, and this is causing a shift in their traditional pattern of supporting Democrats.
Book Review: The Latino Century: How America’s Largest Minority is Transforming Democracy
By Mike Madrid
Simon & Schuster: 272 pages, $28.99
Three decades ago, Californians passed Proposition 187, denying most public services to undocumented immigrants and their children. This ballot measure, aimed at the demographic changes in California, fueled a massive shift in racial politics and galvanized a generation of Latino activists.
In 1994, nearly two-thirds of Latinos across party lines voted against the Proposition 187 campaign, forming an ethnic political coalition based on the experiences of the undocumented and migrants. However, as Latino politicians gained power over the following decades, Latino voter participation declined sharply. Today, Latinos in California vote at lower rates than any other race or ethnicity.
Most Latino voters prioritize jobs and the economy, as they disproportionately face California’s economic challenges, including housing affordability, high poverty, and educational barriers. Yet, despite a call for an ambitious economic agenda from Sacramento, no campaign or party has developed an economic agenda that resonates with Latinos.
Latinos are often mistakenly perceived as a racial minority primarily concerned with immigration and border issues. Both major political parties, despite quantitative data from Latino voters outlining their needs and wants, continue to misunderstand Latino political interests.
Latino voting behavior is undergoing a generational shift, spearheaded by US-born third and fourth-generation Latino voters. The immigration-centric politics of the last century are no longer resonating. Political data expert Paul Mitchell highlighted in Capitol Weekly that in Los Angeles County, the share of registered voters who are foreign-born has fallen from 55% to less than 9% over the past two decades. Furthermore, almost 40% of Latino voters weren’t alive during the politically charged era of Proposition 187.
Yet, California, home to 27% of the state’s population and 23% of the country’s foreign-born residents, hasn’t shown the same measurable rightward shift of Latino voters seen in other states due to its large number of older immigrant and left-leaning voters. It could be due to economic frustrations, as a recent study showed that only 9% of Latino households could afford the state’s median home price. With Latinos representing 55% of California families in the bottom 10% of incomes, Latinos are far from doing well in a state with more Latino elected officials than most.
These economic frustrations are moving Latinos away from their traditional Democratic support. The Golden State is also witnessing a shift away from the Democrats in every one of California’s competitive congressional districts since the midterm election. The performance gap in Latino-dense state legislative districts between Republicans and Democrats has significantly narrowed.
Is this indicative of a transformation of the Latino vote? Registration, turnout and other data suggest so. Policymakers need to recognize that we are on the brink of a new Latino political identity, marking the dawn of a new Latino century.
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