Date of Graduation

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts in Political Science

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Political Science

Advisor/Mentor

Campos, Alejandra

Committee Member

Rosales, Steven

Second Committee Member

Kerr, Brinck III

Third Committee Member

Potra, Adriana

Abstract

How does assimilation explain voting and voter registration rates among Latinos? Using data collected from the 2020 Collaborative Multi-Racial Post Election Survey (CMPS), this paper examines the role of assimilation of Latinos into mainstream U.S. society on political participation. I measure assimilation using factors such as racial identity, education, income, and language to analyze how these factors have led to increased or decreased political participation, such as voting and voter registration. This research finds that Latinos generally are more likely to participate in voting and voter registration as the level of education and income increases. This study also found that Latinos who tend to speak more Spanish at home also tend to participate more in political activity. While there are some gaps in the research that can be attributed to the limited amounts of Latinos with higher levels of education and income, this study is representative of the current spread of the demographic.

Keywords

Latin American Studies; Latinos and Assimilation; Political participation among Latinos; Civic Engagement

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