In a major shift that appears to help Democrats and liberals, one-third of the eligible voters in the upcoming 2020 presidential election will be non-white, the first time ever, according to a new analysis of U.S. Census data.
And in another first, there will be more Hispanic voters eligible to vote than African Americans, according to the analysis from Pew Research Center.
The growth of non-white voters, which Pew said favored Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton in the 2016 election, comes at the expense of the white vote.
Pew said that the white vote will total 66.7 percent in 2020, down from 76.4 in 2000.
[Read more: As base shrinks, GOP urged to ‘show up’ in black, Hispanic communities]
“We project that the 2020 election will mark the first time that Hispanics will be the largest racial or ethnic minority group in the electorate, accounting for just over 13 percent of eligible voters – slightly more than blacks. This change reflects the gradual but continuous growth in the Hispanic share of eligible voters, up from 9 percent in the 2008 presidential election and 7 percent in the 2000 election,” said Pew.
In 2020, there are expected to be 32 million Hispanic voters and 30 million blacks.
A graphic accompanying the Pew analysis of Census data indicated that 10 percent of the eligible non-white vote will be immigrants.
“Taken together, this strong growth among minority populations means that a third of eligible voters will be non-white in 2020, up from about a quarter in 2000. This increase is at least partially linked to immigration and naturalization patterns: One-in-ten eligible voters in the 2020 election will have been born outside the U.S., the highest share since at least 1970,” said Pew.
The impact should be helpful to Democrats, according to the survey giant. It noted, “In 2016, non-white voters were more likely to back Democrat Hillary Clinton, while white voters were more likely to back Republican Donald Trump.”
