Univision Tracks Growing Hispanic Voter Turnout

Hispanic media company Univision has released new state-by-state data on 2018 election Hispanic voter turnout as it prepares for the 2020 election and to sell the value of its audience to political advertisers and the tale of that tape is strong gains in participation from that sector. 

"[W]e take seriously our responsibility to inform and empower our audience and encourage them to participate in the political process to make their voices heard,” said Univision CEO Vince Sadusky. “In 2018, Hispanic voters made the crucial difference in many elections and the triple digit increases in turnout attest to the fact that our community is a vital source of support for any candidate or cause." 

Related: Spanish Media Speak Politicians' Language

Among the key takeaways from the 2018 research: Over half of the new registered voters in California were Hispanic and 40% in Texas. Univision estimates that in "crucial" states Hispanic voter turnout almost doubled in 2018 to 13 million from 6.7 million in 2014. in addition, the rate of increase in Hispanic voting (92%) was more than double that of the general voter population (42%) between 2014 and 2018. Turnout gains among the youngest demos were up an average 170 percentage points in Nevada, New York, Texas, Illinois, California, New Jersey, and Florida. 

Univision's political haul mirrored the increase in Hispanic voters, up 67% from 2014 to 2018, according to the company. 

The company also announced the launch of its 2020 Vota Conmigo campaign to register Hispanic voters and boost turnout for the primaries and general election by providing info on multiple platforms on where and how to vote. 

The message of the new 2020 Vota Conmigo campaign is "Voting together can foster a greater sense of engagement and community." It was created by summer interns as Univision's KMEX Los Angeles. Teaming up with Univision on the voter registration effort were UnidosUS, Voto Latino, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), and the Hispanic Federation. 

The info was unveiled at an event at the Newseum in Washington.  

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.