Hispanic vote giving Clinton early boost in electorate, experts say

WASHINGTON — A surge of early voting among Hispanics, outpacing 2012 levels, is serving as an early boost for Hillary Clinton — and could play a key role in states like Florida, where the final voting margins could be razor thin after the polls close.

The early swell in key states like Colorado, Nevada and Florida are due to factors including the growth of the Hispanic voting-eligible population, grassroots voter registration efforts and the controversial rhetoric surrounding a key issue: immigration.

Though Hispanic voters are politically diverse — Cuban-Americans in states like Florida traditionally have more conservative voting records than Puerto Ricans in the Northeast or Mexican-Americans in the Southwest — Donald Trump’s immigration rhetoric has been an early voting motivator, experts said.

“Latinos have been energized to register to vote, to be the wall against Donald Trump’s hatred,” said Maria Rodriguez, executive director of Florida-based advocacy group FLIC Votes.

While Democratic and Republican Party officials have cited Hispanic outreach as priorities, they tend to focus on likely voters. That has led outside groups to focus on expanding the electorate, said Clarissa Martinez, deputy vice president at National Council of La Raza.

“We have been doing voter registration and education for several cycles now, and we focus on first-time and infrequent voters,” said Martinez.

Still the overall impact has yet to be seen.

“While the numbers do show an increase in early numbers, the jury is still out in terms of overall participation” through Election Day, said Alfonso Aguilar, president of the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles.