Texas Latino turnout up sharply in early voting surge, analysis shows
A long-awaited surge in voter participation among Texas Latinos, which Democrats have for months predicted would come to pass thanks to Donald Trump’s incendiary campaign, may have arrived — but it has come in a year when Anglo voting is also on the rise, diluting the impact of increased turnout by the state’s largest minority group.
Through Wednesday, with two more days of early voting left, Latino turnout in the state’s 20 most-populous counties had already exceeded Latino early voting turnout in 2012 by 26 percent, according to data compiled by Derek Ryan, a political consultant and former research director of the Republican Party of Texas.
The impact of the Hispanic vote on the election is also on the rise. Voters with Spanish surnames made up 18.8 percent of the 3.8 million ballots cast through Wednesday in those 20 counties, a 20.1-percent increase over their share of the electorate in 2012.
While the uptick is significant, it likely isn’t enough to alter the basic calculus of statewide elections. Non-Hispanic voters still make up an overwhelming majority of the electorate, and they are much more likely to vote Republican.
Read more: http://www.mystatesman.com/news/news/texas-latino-turnout-up-sharply-in-early-voting-su/ns4Ct/