Georgia’s Latino Electorate Growing

GALEO based its findings from statewide voter data after the 2012 election.

Jerry Gonzalez is GALEO’s executive director and authored the study.

“The growth rate has been astounding,” Gonzalez says. “It makes sure that candidates should be well-aware of the growing electorate, and in any type of competitive statewide race, clearly the Latino electorate can make a difference.”

According to the report, Latino voters make up 3 percent of the electorate in Georgia.

That doesn’t mean a whole lot now, but it will in coming years, says Charles Bullock, a political science professor at the University of Georgia.

“Probably by 2030, Georgia will no longer have a white majority population. It will have a white plurality population, but we’re becoming an increasingly diverse state,” Bullock says.

The report also found that that the majority of Hispanic voters are under the age of 40.

Hall County had the fastest rate of growth, while Gwinnett County had the largest number of Hispanic voters in the state.  

However, while the number of voters increased, the report found the percentage of voter participation dropped by nearly 7 percent.

GALEO says the drop in the turnout could be linked to voting laws – the organization currently has a lawsuit against the city of Gainesville over voting procedures.