Updated November 5, 2012
This profile provides key demographic information on Latino eligible voters1 and other major groups of eligible voters in Georgia.2 All demographic data are based on Pew Hispanic Center tabulations of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 American Community Survey.3
Georgia Voter Registration Statistics
According to the Georgia Secretary of State Elections Division, voter registration statistics as of October 2012 show that 111,000 Latinos are registered to vote statewide. Overall, Latinos make up only 1.8% of the state’s 6.1 million registered voters. The majority of voters in Georgia are white—there are 3.6 million white registered voters, representing 58.9% of all registered voters in Georgia. Additionally, about three-in-ten registered voters in Georgia are black (29.9%), with about 1.8 million voters statewide. Asians represent a slightly smaller share of registered voters than Hispanics, with 87,000 registered statewide (1.4% of all registered voters in Georgia).
The number of Latinos registered to vote has tripled since 2004: It rose from 34,000 during the 2004 presidential election to 82,000 during the 2008 presidential election and now stands at 111,000. The share of registered voters in Georgia has also risen since 2004, from just 0.7% in 2004 to 1.8% today. In 2004, whites made up more than two-thirds of all registered voters in Georgia (68%). That share has been dropping, and whites now make up fewer than six-in-ten of all registered voters in Georgia (59%).
Hispanics in Georgia’s Eligible Voter Population
- The Hispanic population in Georgia is the 10th largest in the nation.4 About 856,000 Hispanics reside in Georgia, 1.7% of all Hispanics in the United States.
- Georgia’s population is 9% Hispanic, ranking 24th in Hispanic population share nationally.
- There are 220,000 Hispanic eligible voters in Georgia—the 15th largest Hispanic eligible voter population nationally. California ranks first with 5.9 million.
- Some 3% of Georgia eligible voters are Hispanic, ranking 29th in Hispanic eligible voter share nationally. New Mexico ranks first with 39%.
- About a quarter (26%) of Hispanics in Georgia are eligible to vote, ranking Georgia 45th nationwide in the share of the Hispanic population that is eligible to vote. By contrast, more than three-quarters (77%) of the state’s white population is eligible to vote.
Characteristics of Eligible Voters
- Age. More than one-third of Hispanic eligible voters in Georgia (36%) are ages 18 to 29, somewhat more than the share of all Latino eligible voters nationwide (33%) in that age range. By contrast, only 22% of all Georgia eligible voters and of all U.S. eligible voters are ages 18 to 29.
- Citizenship and Nativity. Among Hispanic eligible voters in Georgia, 30% are naturalized U.S. citizens. This compares with 25% of Hispanic eligible voters in the U.S., and just 5% of all eligible voters in Georgia and 8% of eligible voters in the U.S overall.
- Hispanic Origin. Hispanic eligible voters in Georgia have a different Hispanic origin profile from Hispanic eligible voters nationwide. More than four-in-ten (42%) Hispanic eligible voters in Georgia are of Mexican origin, 22% are of Puerto Rican origin, and 36% claim other Hispanic origin. Among all Hispanic eligible voters nationwide, six-in-ten (59%) are Mexican, only 14% are Puerto Rican, and about a quarter (26%) are of some other Hispanic origin.
- Educational Attainment. About one-quarter of Latino eligible voters in Georgia (24%) have not completed high school, more than the 15% of all Georgia eligible voters who have not completed high school.
- Homeownership. Six-in-ten Hispanic eligible voters in Georgia (61%) live in owner-occupied homes, similar to the share of all Hispanic eligible voters nationwide (58%). Slightly greater shares of all eligible voters in Georgia (68%) and all eligible voters nationwide (69%) live in owner-occupied homes.
Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Georgia, by Race and Ethnicity
- Number of Eligible Voters. White eligible voters outnumber Hispanic eligible voters in Georgia by 19 to 1, and black eligible voters outnumber Hispanics by more than 9 to 1. There are slightly more Hispanic eligible voters (220,000) than Asian eligible voters (134,000).
- Age. Latino eligible voters are younger than black, Asian and white eligible voters in Georgia. Some 36% of Latinos are ages 18 to 29, compared with 26% of black eligible voters, 25% of Asian eligible voters and 19% of white eligible voters.
- Educational Attainment. Hispanic eligible voters have lower levels of high school education than do black, white and Asian eligible voters in Georgia. Some 24% of Hispanic eligible voters have not obtained a high school diploma, compared with 19% of black eligible voters, 12% of white eligible voters and 11% of Asian eligible voters. In terms of college education, however, a slightly larger share of Hispanic (20%) than black (17%) eligible voters have at least a bachelor’s degree. A larger share of Asians (43%) and whites (29%) have bachelor’s degrees or more.
- Homeownership. Hispanic eligible voters (61%) are more likely to live in owner-occupied homes than black (52%) eligible voters in Georgia, but they are less likely to do so than white (76%) or Asian (74%) eligible voters in Georgia.
