The Latino population in the United States has greatly increased in recent years, which consequently led to an influence on U.S. politics as the American electorate has experienced significant...Show moreThe Latino population in the United States has greatly increased in recent years, which consequently led to an influence on U.S. politics as the American electorate has experienced significant change. However, though Latinos share a common language and a cultural heritage, they cannot be considered a homogenous group. By using a pan-ethnic approach, that “assumes that members of a racial and ethnic group share political attitudes and patterns of behavior”, many scholars do not recognize the differences that exists between Latino sub-groups (Bishin and Klofstad, “Intra-ethnic diversity” 572). Yet, this is particularly necessary when considering that some sub-groups grow more rapidly than others and may differ considerably from each other when it comes to their political participation and the influences they have on the outcome of an election. The cases of Puerto Ricans and Cubans in the United States demonstrate how important it is to recognize these differences as both sub-groups differ significantly in their voting behavior. Puerto Ricans have always had a very low voter turnout compared to other sub-groups, while Cubans on the other hand have participated extensively in U.S. politics at all times. Besides that, Cubans affiliate with the Republican Party to a large extent, which is in contrast to the majority of other Latinos. The following research question therefore arises: “How can the different voting behavior of Cubans and Puerto Ricans in the United States be explained?”.Show less
