The Quest for Political Power: Latinos in the City of Sunnyside, Washington

Document Type

Oral Presentation

Campus where you would like to present

SURC Ballroom C/D

Start Date

15-5-2014

End Date

15-5-2014

Keywords

Politics, Latinos, Washington

Abstract

In 2012, Toppenish, Grandview, and Sunnyside, with a significant Latino population, reported minimal representation in government. Smaller communities fared better in local representation: In Mabton, three of the five city council members were Latino; in Granger, four of the five city council members were Latino; and in Wapato, the mayor and four of the six city council members were Latino. Therefore, this study examines the following question: What are the explanations for the lack of political representation in Latino communities with a sizeable population? The following presentation explores the impact of electoral systems, rules of the game, and socio-economic variables in the weakening of the political potential of the demographic growth of the Latino communities in the Northwest, more specifically, the city of Sunnyside, Washington. The methodology of the project includes an examination of demographic data, government documents, voting records as well as newspaper and other media reports on the politics of the communities in the region.

This presentation received a People's Choice Award for Best Poster Presentation, 2014.

Poster Number

8

Faculty Mentor(s)

Garcia, Gilberto

Additional Mentoring Department

Political Science

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May 15th, 11:30 AM May 15th, 2:00 PM

The Quest for Political Power: Latinos in the City of Sunnyside, Washington

SURC Ballroom C/D

In 2012, Toppenish, Grandview, and Sunnyside, with a significant Latino population, reported minimal representation in government. Smaller communities fared better in local representation: In Mabton, three of the five city council members were Latino; in Granger, four of the five city council members were Latino; and in Wapato, the mayor and four of the six city council members were Latino. Therefore, this study examines the following question: What are the explanations for the lack of political representation in Latino communities with a sizeable population? The following presentation explores the impact of electoral systems, rules of the game, and socio-economic variables in the weakening of the political potential of the demographic growth of the Latino communities in the Northwest, more specifically, the city of Sunnyside, Washington. The methodology of the project includes an examination of demographic data, government documents, voting records as well as newspaper and other media reports on the politics of the communities in the region.

This presentation received a People's Choice Award for Best Poster Presentation, 2014.