Report: Historic Decline in Latino Voter Turnout since 1978

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The percentage of U.S. Latinos who voted in congressional elections declined drastically over the past 36 years and remained far lower than white and black voter turnout, according to a new Census report.

The report, which examines historical voter turnout in congressional elections by age, race, and Hispanic origin, indicates that the 2014 congressional election turnout rate of 41.9% was the lowest since the U.S. Census Bureau first began asking Americans about voting and citizenship status in 1978.

Among Latinos, the rate declined from 35.7% in 1978 to 27% in 2014.

White voter turnout dropped from 50.6% to 45.8%, while black voter turnout slightly rose from 39.5% to 40.6%.

Overall, recent trends indicate “low levels of engagement among young people and the opposite for older Americans” in congressional elections, said Thom File, a sociologist and the report’s author.

“These age differences cut across racial and ethnic groups as well. Regardless of whether we’re looking at non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks or Hispanics, voting rates tend to increase significantly with age,” File said.