Brasileñas en Fiesta DC. Foto archivo Ramón Jiménez
By Isaac Cohen*
Hispanic Heritage Month started yesterday in the United States. Several landmarks are worth highlighting in the recent evolution of the Hispanic minority. First and foremost, according to the US Bureau of the Census as of July 1, 2024, 68 million Hispanics are the most numerous minority in the United States, amounting to 20 percent of the total population. (US Census Bureau, National Hispanic Heritage Month: 2025).
However, this quantitative increase does not necessarily translate into political influence. According to the Census Bureau in 2024, 61.4 percent of all Hispanics were citizens, over 18-years-old, therefore they were eligible to vote. But only 42.8 percent were registered to do so, while out of those registered only 35.2 percent voted in the 2024 election. This means that for Hispanic demographics to become effective political influence requires a major effort to increase the registration and political participation of Hispanic citizens eligible to vote. For instance, the number of citizens registered to vote remained the same, at 61.1 percent in the 2020 election and 61.5 percent in the 2024 election. (US Census Bureau, a6.xlsx)
Another landmark this year for the Hispanic minority was the appointment of the first Hispanic as Secretary of State. In January, the appointment of Cuban American former Senator Marco Rubio, Republican from Florida, was approved by the US Senate almost unanimously, 99-0.
*International analyst and consultant, former Director ECLAC Washington. Commentator on economic and financial issues for CNN en Español TV and radio, TELEMUNDO, UNIVISION, and other media.
