SEATTLE — Hispanics remain largely politically under-represented in rural towns in Eastern Washington, where a large segment of the state’s fast-growing Hispanic population lives and works, according to a Whitman University study released Thursday.
Hispanics are the state’s largest minority group, accounting for nearly 10 percent of the state’s 6.4 million population, and about one-third of the estimated 610,000 Hispanics live east of the Cascade range, mainly in the central part of the state, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau estimates.
In the last legislative session, there were three Hispanic lawmakers out of 147 legislators, or 2 percent.
In towns such as Toppenish, Wapato and Walla Walla, Hispanics have considerably less influence in local politics and policy-making, although in some places they outnumber whites, according to the study, entitled “The State of the State for Washington Latinos.”
Hispanics also have a long way to go toward equal political representation in bigger communities, including Yakima and Pasco, according to the study.
“The bad news is there is mounting evidence that (Hispanics) are vastly under represented in these communities,” said Paul Apostolidis, a professor who led the research
Among the findings by students is a pressing need for changes in the way school boards are elected in Toppenish and Wapato, where at-large voting results in under-representation of Hispanics.
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