National Poll of Latino Voters by Hispanic Federation, Latino Victory Foundation Finds Latinos Have a Renewed Enthusiasm to Vote in the Presidential Election
National snapshot poll reveals that Vice President Harris’ emergence has generated enthusiasm across key segments of the Latino electorate, with new excitement especially evident for women, younger, and more Spanish-speaking Latinos
Chicago, IL – As the Democratic National Convention kicks off in Chicago on August 19th, two of the nation’s premier Latino organizations, Hispanic Federation and Latino Victory Foundation, unveiled the results of a new national snap poll of registered Latino voters. The poll revealed that the Latino electorate is highly motivated to participate in the 2024 elections, paying attention to the policy positions championed by candidates, and positioned to play a decisive role in key battleground states.
Results from the poll, which BSP Research conducted from August 6-10, show that there is renewed enthusiasm within the Latino electorate, – with a striking 57% of respondents replying that they are more interested in voting due to Vice President Harris entering the presidential election. The poll also found that economic issues were top of mind for Latino voters with respondents choosing cost of living/inflation (60%), jobs and the economy (38%), and housing costs (29%) as the most important issues for elected officials to address.
The Latino electorate is the second largest voting bloc in the United States and continues to experience historic growth with Latinos projected to account for nearly 15% of all eligible voters in November 2024. An estimated 36.2 million Latinos are eligible to vote this year, up from 32.3 million in 2020 – and of Latino voters, about 25% will be voting for the very first time.
As organizations with decades of experience in mobilizing Latino voters and building greater Latino power and representation nationwide, Hispanic Federation and Latino Victory Foundation, partnered in this poll to highlight the need for candidates to engage with and understand the needs and aspirations of Latino voters.
“The findings of our poll confirm what we have been saying all along: Latino voters are paying attention and will be the deciding factor in the 2024 election. However, the poll also reveals that there is still a lot of work to do around Latino outreach and engagement, and the candidates must do more to engage Latinos on the issues that resonate with them. Latinos want to hear about their plans to create economic opportunities, address the need for humane immigration policies, confront gun violence, and protect reproductive rights,” said Frankie Miranda, President and CEO of the Hispanic Federation. “HF will continue to work with our partner network of 750 Latino community-based organizations to provide nonpartisan information, mobilize our community to the polls, and ensure that the voices of the 64 million Latinos living in the U.S. are heard in 2024 and beyond.”
“This new poll supports what we at Latino Victory and Hispanic Federation have long known: Latinos are not a monolithic group, particularly when it comes to voting,” said Luis A. Miranda, Jr., Chair of Latino Victory. “Harris’s candidacy is supported by more Puerto Rican voters than by Mexican Americans and other Latino voting groups. There is also a considerable gender gap among Latinos and Latinas, despite Harris winning over both men and women overall – 35% of Latino men support Trump while only 23% of Latinas support his candidacy. The parties still have a lot of work to do to solidify the Latino vote for their respective candidate.”
“There is no doubt that Vice President Harris has injected considerable enthusiasm into the presidential contest and this poll confirms what is being reported on the ground and with huge crowds at Harris rallies, that is, Latino voters report high levels of favorability and trust in Kamala Harris to tackle the issues important to the Latino community,” said Matt Barreto, Founding Partner and President, BSP Research.
“Latino voters will be a deciding factor in this election,” said Sindy Benavides, President and CEO of Latino Victory Foundation. “Their renewed enthusiasm to vote after Vice President Harris entered the election is a welcome sign of the times, but organizations like Latino Victory and Hispanic Federation know too well that Latino voters are persuasion voters. Candidates and organizations must invest to ramp up voter engagement among this powerhouse community. We’re thrilled to see Latinos are enthusiastic about voting in this high-stakes election, but this only means we have our work cut out to ensure this enthusiasm translates into actual votes – and we’re ready for the challenge!”
Key takeaways from the poll include:
- 73% of registered Latino voters are almost certain they will vote in the 2024 Presidential election
- Harris emergence has generated enthusiasm across key segments that Democrats will need to consolidate, with 57% of respondents replying that they are more interested in voting due to Vice President Harris entering the presidential election
- New excitement is especially true for women, younger, and more Spanish speaking Latinos
- Inflation and cost of living remain the top issue by a large margin: 60% cited as top issue
- Jobs (38%) and housing costs and affordability (29%), rank high after inflation
- Outside of economic concerns, immigration issues (21%) and reform (20%), gun violence (20%), and abortion rights (18%) are the top cited concerns
- The majority of Latino voters do not feel well informed on candidates’ policy proposals and platforms
- In a combined 2-way vote, Harris led former President Donald Trump by 24 points, 59% to 35% among registered Latino voters
The snapshot poll is just the beginning. The partners intend to conduct additional polling throughout the election cycle to reveal additional insights about this key growing voter bloc and develop nonpartisan get out the vote culturally competent messaging that is tailored to specific local communities.
BSP collected 600 interviews with registered Latino voters of all backgrounds from across the country, with a nominal margin of error of +/- 4.0%. The poll fielded from August 6-9, with a sample size of 600 voters, reached by cell phone, email invite, or online voter panels.
Download a PDF of the poll results here.
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About Hispanic Federation:
Hispanic Federation (HF) is a nonprofit membership and advocacy organization, founded in 1990, committed to empowering and advancing the Hispanic community, with a focus on low-income, marginalized and immigrant Latinos. With programs in 40 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia, HF’s focus areas include immigration, economic empowerment, civic engagement, disaster relief, philanthropy, education, health, and the environment. HF also maintains ongoing public education campaigns and meets the organizational development needs of its member agencies through grant-making and capacity-building assistance.
About Latino Victory:
Latino Victory Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that works to empower the Latino community and build our next generation of leaders by engaging in research, non-partisan civic engagement, strategic communications and leadership development.
