Hispanic or
Latino voters, according to the U.S. Census Bureau — Adams, Benton, Chelan, Douglas, Franklin, Grant, Walla Walla and Yakima counties.
According to a
consent decree in a lawsuit brought under the federal
Voting Rights Act in Yakima County, the Washington Secretary of State matches Yakima voter last names to a “Spanish surname” list provided by the U.S. Justice Department in 2004. InvestigateWest also used this list to analyze signature rejections.
Latinos make up 37% of the total population in these eight counties, and 21% of the voting population. White, non-Hispanic voters make up most of the remaining voting population in these counties. While the eight counties account for 10% of the statewide voting population, they account for 29% of the Latino voting population in Washington.