Study Finds Gap in Hispanic Growth, Voters

Ooops.

The rapid increase of the Hispanic population in the United States is not resulting in a comparable growth in political clout, a new study found. Hispanics accounted for half the growth in the U.S. between 2000 and 2004, but only a tenth of the growth in votes, according to an analysis of Census data by the Pew Hispanic Center. The population of Hispanics increased by 5.7 million over those four years, but only 2.1 million of those were eligible to vote. The number of Hispanic voters increased by only 1.4 million. One reason for the gap: A high percentage of Hispanics are either too young to vote or are ineligible because they are not citizens.

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