Latinos had record turnout in 2010, but increasing numbers stay home

A new study from the Pew Hispanic Center shows that more than 6.6 million Latinos participated in the 2010 election--a record number compared to previous midterm elections. But the increase in participation isn't happening as fast as the increase in the number of Latinos who have reached voting age.

In the last midterm election in 2006, 5.6 million Latinos participated--roughly a third of the 17.3 million Latinos who were then eligible to vote. In 2010, participation grew to 6.6 million participants out of an eligible pool of 21.3 million. That's a decrease from 32.4 percent participation to 30.9 percent.

Both parties will be looking to both win over and engage Latino voters ahead of the 2012 election.

Pew notes that the Latino community continues to experience rapid population growth--50.5 million Hispanics were included in the 2010 census, up from 35.3 million in 2000. Over the same decade, eligible Latino voters increased from 13.2 million to 21.3 million. Youth and non-citizenship continue to drive the gap between all Hispanics and those eligible to vote, Pew notes.