Note: please note that this issue brief should (a) link back to the issue overview on this topic, (b) be focused either the local, state, national, or global level, and (c) be neutrally presented, based on facts, and include footnotes for each of the items. See the Research Guide and Information Sources to assist you.
Goal Statement
- (See the Minority Voting Rights overview page for the goal statement related to this issue brief). This case study focuses on Pasco, Washington, a small city with a large but politically disenfranchised Latino population. The recommendations here apply generally to increasing the electoral participation and representation on city councils of Latinos in small cities with large or majority Latino populations.
Scope of the Problem factual statements on the extent of the problem in the past, current, or future
- Despite comprising a considerable proportion of the population in many regions of the U.S., Latinos have for the past fifty years struggled to win elected positions in municipal government. In the state of Washington, there were by 1998 only two elected Latino city officials in office.
- In the state of Washington, the number of elected Latino city officials has only increased by two, to a total of four, since 1998. The absence of Latinos in city government negatively affects the distribution of city resources for Latinos . Examples in places like Salinas, California have shown that when a previously disenfranchised group does achieve proportionate representation in city government, a more equitable distribution of resources and opportunity soon follows..
- One significant problem is low turnout among Latino voters. In Washington, Latinos still only comprise 3% of the Washington electorate, despite comprising 9% of the total population.
- Since 1989, nine Latino candidates in Pasco have run for the city council in fifteen races and none have succeeded in winning office.
- In Pasco, where there are no Latinos on the city council, the city's Latino majority holds 16.6% of city jobs, with only two of these positions in the highest-ranking "administrator" or "professional" job categories.
- The discrepancy between the Latino population and voter turnout is especially notable in eastern Washington. In Pasco, Latinos comprised only 5% of voters as of the 2001 elections, despite making up 56% of the population.
- Between 2001 and 2005, Latino voter turnout rates in Pasco almost doubled from 10% to 19.2%, to comprise 8.1% of the people who voted. However, Latino voter turnout rates remain at less than half the rates of non-Latino voters.
Current Policy summary of current policies in the form of legislation, programs, and funding
- Currently, all elections for city council positions in Pasco are voted for at-large, not by district. The election system at present requires that a candidate receive the majority of votes to win, meaning that only the one top-voting candidate for each position is elected.
- Bilingual election materials and voter outreach
- In 2002 the U.S. Department of Justice required Franklin County to meet the requirements of Section 203 of the VRA. As a result, county election officials in Pasco have provided bilingual ballots, election information, and outreach material for all elections. Election dates and registration deadlines are published in Spanish-language newspapers. The county employs a full-time Bilingual Elections Outreach Coordinator to ensure access to the election process for Spanish-speaking voters.
Policy Options
Recommendations based on original analytical research in Pasco:
- Racially polarized voting has not regularly occurred in elections in Pasco when a Latino candidate has run against a non-Latino. This means that there is not the evidence to support a VRA case for requiring the creation of election districts with a Latino majority and ending at-large elections.
- Alternative voluntary election system changes could still increase the chances for electing a Latino candidate to the city council, even if Latino voters remain in the minority. Alternative election systems that do not require every candidate to receive 51% of the total votes remove the disproportionate advantage experienced by majority voters in this system.
- Cumulative voting is a good alternative election system. Cumulative voting allows each voter to distribute multiple votes among candidates for a position. This system enables voters of a minority group to pool their votes for a co-ethnic candidate, as well as receive additional votes from allied groups.
- Efforts to increase the number of Latino voters should focus more on education and getting already registered Latinos to vote, rather than voter registration. The biggest gap to be filled is the distance between the number of registered Latinos and those who actually vote.
- Implement an official permanent database for election records and voter rolls. Election results are currently kept on record, but old voter rolls are not. This researcher was only able to access past lists when a county employee found them on an old abandoned computer. Complete and historical records are necessary for analyzing elections to determine criteria for VRA cases, as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of bilingual election materials and voter outreach programs.
Key Organizations/Individuals contacts for public and private organizations and key individuals
The State of the State for Washington Latinos. Organized by Dr. Paul Apostolidis at Whitman College, the State of the State for Washington Latinos is a community-based research course that connects Whitman students with community partners to conduct meaningful original research on issues of concern for Latino communities in Washington State.
Washington Secretary of State. Sam Reed is currently the Secretary of State for Washington. The office oversees aspects of the administration and funding of elections at the state level. The office can spearhead statewide voter education and outreach programs, as well as provide funding support for county elections administration.
- Email: mail@secstate.wa.gov, Telephone (360) 902-4151
- Nick Handy, Director of Elections: Telephone (800) 448-4881
Washington State Legislature. The legislative body of the state is responsible for creating and revising state laws and policies. Election and voting laws passed by the legislature can affect the administration of local elections.
Franklin County Auditor's Office. This office oversees the administration of elections at the county level, in addition to other accounting and records services. The elections office manages elections, voting and election records, and directs county efforts for bilingual voter outreach.
- Zona Lenhart, County Auditor: Telephone (509) 545-3536
- Diana Garza Killian, Election Administrator: Email dkillian@co.franklin.wa.us, Telephone (509) 545-3538
Glossary of Terms
Bibliography web sites, reports, articles, and other reference material
David Brockington et al. 1998. “Minority Representation under Cumulative and Limited Voting.” The Journal of Politics 60: 1108-1125
Davidson, C., & Grofman, B. (Eds.). (1994). Quiet Revolution in the South: The Impact of the Voting Rights Act 1965-1990. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Geron, Kim. 2005. Latino Political Power. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers.
NALEO Educational Fund. Latino Vote in Washington: A Demographic and Political Profile of Latinos in Washington (2007).
Shadix, Timothy. "The Missing Majority: Latinos and City Council Elections in Pasco, WA." State of the State for Washington Latinos. 30 June 2009. Whitman College. 30 June 2009 <www.walatinos.org>.
Van Osdol, M. (2004). Political Activity Among Latinos in Pasco, Washington. Walla Walla:WA: Whitman College Honors Thesis.
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