In one of my previous post, I talked about the perception of government’s authority among Hispanics in Texas. In order to better understand the influence of Latinos in future elections we should explore the steps that both political parties should take, in my modest opinion, to win over this rapidly increasing ethnic group. First, we must agree that a change in the eligible voter’s population doesn’t represent a change in likely voters. The number of new, non-white eligible voters in Texas may be very overwhelming, but not all those eligible voters truly go to the polls. This phenomenon makes us all question; what should Democrats do to get these voters excited enough to cast their vote on Election Day?? What should Republicans do to prevent Texas from going blue??

 One wild card may be an immigration reform. If Democrats can pass an immigration legislation that gives some undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship, millions of new minority voters might enter the electorate. If the Republicans remain firm in its existing position on immigration; Texas may be a Democratic bastion as early as 2030. Democrats could speed the rate at which Texas become ready for action if they could rush the rise of Hispanic turnout rates.  One could argue that Republicans have managed to keep Latinos from the ballot boxes by not giving them enough issues that would demand an urgent response from the Hispanic community. I firmly believe that Republicans cannot afford to lose Texas, especially if they don’t pick up something else that is evenly substantial. If Republicans lose Texas because of their immigration style or their negligence to issues affecting Latinos; they are not very likely to find success in other parts of the country where they are not already succeeding.

However, it’s not just immigration that has become a problem when trying to attract Latinos’ votes. The Texas legislature recently passed a law that requires voters to have a photo ID. Many Hispanics find that the requirement discriminates against minorities, who are less likely to have a driver's license and can have a rough time getting one. Those are just the main aspects each party should strongly consider as the first steps to take to appeal to the Hispanic population in Texas. The party that manages to do a better job and play the better cards in the next elections considering the interest of the Texas Hispanics will certainly have a fair advantage to win.