More than 194,000 registered Latino voters are expected to participate in the upcoming Nevada caucus.

Based on analysis from the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO) Education Fund, the Latino voter turnout in Nevada is expected to increase again. Compared to 72,000 Latino voters in 2004 and 157,000 voters in 2012, the 2016 election season could see more than 194,000 Latino voters engaged in politics. With the aforementioned tally of registered Latino registered voters, Latinos account for 13 percent of the total Nevada electorate.

"With more than 194,000 Nevada Latino voters expected to cast ballots this year, there is no doubt that the Silver State's Latino electorate will play a decisive role in electing our nation's next president," said NALEO Educational Fund executive director Arturo Vargas.

"Simply translating an ad into Spanish is not enough if candidates want to win Nevada's six electoral votes and the race for the White House in 2016. Candidates will need to have a robust outreach strategy in both English and Spanish that engages Latinos on the issues that matter most if they hope to capture the support of this increasingly influential electorate."

Data Breakdown

The average Latino registered voter is young compared to non-Latinos. Within the millennial demographic, voters age 18 to 24 represent 16 percent of the Nevada Latino electorate, as compared to the 8 percent among the same age group of non-Latinos. With the latter half of the millennial age group, 25 to 34-year-olds, Latino registered voters comprise 24 percent, compared to 16 percent of non-Latinos.

In regards to political party affiliation, the Republican Party might need to boost its ground-roots efforts. According to NALEO, 55 percent of Latinos identified as Democrat, significantly higher than 17 percent as Republican and 28 percent as "other." But a common trend emerged with both Latinos and non-Latinos: Slightly more than one in every four voters is not affiliated with a major political party.

Latino Voters' Impact in Nevada

As of 2015, 18 Latinos have served in elected office, ranging from local to state level. This includes State Sen. Ruben Kihuen, who spoke to Latin Post for the "Turnout" political series about the impact of Nevada's Latinos and his role in politically engaging the community. As NALEO noted, the number of Latinos who served in Nevada's elected offices increased from 3 to 18 between 1996 and 2015.

For the 2016 election, Latinos will encounter elections affecting both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. In the Senate, Republican Rep. Joe Heck and Latina Catherine Cortez-Masto, who served as the state's attorney general, are expected to win their respective primaries this June and face each other to determine who will succeed Sen. Harry Reid.

In the House, Kihuen is campaigning against several Latinos for Nevada's 4th Congressional District, including former Assemblymember Lucy Flores, who also spoke to Latin Post about her track record and issues she wants to champion in Congress.

Another House race is for the 3rd Congressional District, with Republican Annette Teijeiro running for Heck's vacant seat, since he's running for the Senate.

Although most of Nevada's Latinos lean Democrat, their votes in the presidential election can change. Latinos voted for Democratic Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, but the electorate did vote for Republican President George W. Bush.

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For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.

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