Projections indicate record Latino voter turnout nationally

SAN ANTONIO – Projections based on the preliminary analysis by the William C. Velasquez Institute show an estimated 15.2 million votes would be cast by Latinos on Election Day and another 8.6 million would vote early.

WCVI is the research arm of the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, named after its founder and voting rights pioneer, the late Willie Velasquez.

“I believe the numbers that I projected are accurate,” said Lydia Camarillo, WCVI and SWVREP president.

Camarillo said they’ll know more in a few months after reviewing data from the U.S. Census and elsewhere.

WCVI projected a record number of Latinos would be registered to vote, 17.9 million.

Texas was expected to have half a million first time Latino voters and another 110,000 in Arizona .

Camarillo said it was thought that Latinos were “a sleeping giant,” yet there’s “a culture of voting” among Latinos during presidential elections.

She said WCVI has analyzed a 46-year pattern of substantially increasing Latino voting and registration, especially when deciding the next U.S. president.

Latino voter registration grew 20% and voting was up by 24% since 2016, Camarillo said.

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