The Future of Elections: The Hispanic Vote

Hispanic people are the second largest group in the United States, behind whites. From 2000 to 2010, the Hispanic population grew by 43 percent, while all other groups grew by about 5 percent, according to the U.S. Census.

Without question, this segment of the population is ready to wield tremendous power in coming years -- even more than it did in the last decade.

And that might become a problem for the Democratic Party.

According to CNN, 71 percent of Latinos voting Democratic on Tuesday, playing a significant role in the re-election of President Barack Obama. 

So how is that a problem for Democrats? It's a problem because 27 percent of Latino voters went Republican even while the Republican Party made few attempts to earn Hispanic votes -- and the attempts they did make were often painful or offensive.

Expect a significant move by the Republicans to earn Hispanic votes in the next four years. If the GOP could have made that 71-27 split into something closer to a 60-40 split, Mitt Romney might be our president-elect today.

If the Republican Party fails to move forward with Hispanic voters in the next few years, there is a real chance it could lose the group for decades to come. 

It's going to be very interesting to see whether the pragmatic or the dogmatic wing will win this battle for the future of the Republican Party.