ABSTRACT
Across the two disciplines of political science and mass communication, research examines how growing ethnic minorities in American society have the potential to change the political landscape and to shape future trends in U.S. elections. This study investigates ethnic minorities, whose populations are increasing rapidly and whose proportion of eligible voters exceeds marginal differences for most electoral victories at the state and national levels. Ethnic minority groups’ increasing social and political importance in the U.S. has received more attention in the last couple of presidential elections. Further, the presence of an African-American Democratic Party nominee raised levels of racial and ethnic consciousness and changed the picture of the American political process in the 2008 presidential election.
