BEAUMONT, Texas — With the Hispanic population in Texas increasing by two million and plans for redistricting in the third special session, the political climate for Southeast Texas could be in for a big change.
“Most of the population growth in Texas has been among Hispanics,” Thomas Taschinger, a political analyst said.
While political analysts do believe the population growth could bring about change, it is unclear whether that change will be in favor of the Republican or Democratic party.
Some people believe that Hispanic voters tend to vote for the Democratic party, but that is not always the case. For example, in the 2016 election, 52% of the votes from Zapata County, which is 95% Hispanic or latino, were for former President Donald Trump.
“Hispanics are voting for republicans in some regard, and really, if this is the emerging ethnic group, if you have a Democratic group and a Republican group, and you have this new emerging factor, frankly, the party that captures the Hispanic vote could be the party that controls Texas politics in the next five or ten years," Taschinger said.
An individual's ethnic background can also play part in which political party they vote for. Jefferson County Democrat Party member Julia Rodriguez said, to her, it seems that Puerto Ricans often vote Democrat, while Cubans vote Republican.
“You can't just say, ‘Oh, there's more Hispanics therefore that means more Democrats,’” Rodriguez said. “You have to still reach people and talk to them through their specific issues.”
While the growth has been exponential, the Hispanic and Latino population still lags in voter participation.
“Not all of them are citizens and could register to vote, and many of the citizens have not done so,” Taschinger said.
One student with the Lamar University Hispanic Society said she is proud to be a part of the younger generations because they are stepping up and taking the initiative to vote.
“It shows that Hispanics are a minority, in general, are really trying to have a better life for themselves, and it's really proving the efforts that they're putting into it,” Kat said.