1 in 4 Latinos in Texas say they will vote for the first time in November election

New polls show more than one in four Latino voters will vote for the first time in the upcoming general election.

Polling data collected by UnidosUS and BSP Research shows that 26% of Latinos in Texas say they will vote in a presidential election for the first time this year.

“The takeaway from this is that if both political parties believe they are investing in Latino communities to the extent that they are, it has to be an ongoing process,” Gary Segunda of BSP Research said at a news conference ahead of the poll Tuesday.

Segunda said the percentage of new voters since 2016 is 38%. That includes new voters in the 2020 general election, when about 12% of Latino voters voted for the first time,

“The community is so young on average that new voters make up a huge portion of the electorate in every election,” Segunda said.

Courtesy

UnidosUS/BSP Research

New data from UnidosUS and BSP polls shows 38% of the Latino electorate is voting for the first or second time.

Presidential politics

Vice President Kamala Harris has a clear lead over former President Donald Trump when it comes to presidential preferences, with 57% of Latinos saying they will vote for Harris, while 34% say they will vote for Trump. About 9% of Latino voters in Texas said they were undecided or would vote for a third party.

Segunda said young voters (ages 18 to 39) are one of the least enthusiastic groups when it comes to voting in the general election. While 51% of young Latino voters said they would definitely vote, 29% said they might or might not vote.

“This is something we need to keep in mind because a lot of the young people we talk to in the field — whether they’re newly registered voters or voters who are in college — a lot of them say they just don’t feel connected to either side,” Dayana Iza Presas, Texas state director of Mi Familia Vota, said during the briefing.

What Latinos care about

The poll also found that the top three issues that concern Latinos are inflation, jobs and immigration. Segunda said that is largely in line with the most important issues for Latinos and non-Latinos across the country.

“From wallets to health care to immigration, Hispanic voters in Texas are focused on living a life of abundance, regardless of background,” said Eric Holguin, UnidosUS Texas director. “Hispanic voters want our leaders to reach out and work with our communities on real solutions, not play partisan politics.”

But polls show the two major parties’ actions have been inconsistent. More than half of Latino voters in Texas — 52% — say neither party has contacted them about voting in the upcoming election.

“I am shocked … that while Latinos are becoming the second largest voting group in the country and the second largest voting group in Texas, both parties have failed to significantly invest the resources needed to mobilize the Latino electorate,” Segunda said.

Segunda said the poll did not include data on how the state’s rapid population growth could affect the Latino electorate.

“Of course, population growth would intuitively increase housing costs and rent costs,” Segunda said. “It depends on where people come from.”

Pablo Arauz Peña is a growth and infrastructure reporter at KERA. Got a tip? Email Pablo at [email protected]You can follow him on X @pabloaarauz.

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