A new report from The Conversation contemplates the underrepresentation of Latinos in political and leadership positions in the United States. The study, led by Justin de Benedictis-Kessner, an assistant professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, analyzed data from municipal, district, and district school elections over the past three decades in medium and large urban centers.

The results indicate a persistent overrepresentation of whites in political office compared to the general population. In municipal offices, such as mayor and councilman, the discrepancy is notable, with the percentage of white elected representatives consistently higher than the white percentage of the population since the 1990s. The representation of Latinos in these positions is particularly low, reflecting significant underrepresentation.

They also analyzed county executives, legislators, sheriffs and prosecutors, finding that the overrepresentation of whites persists in all of these categories. Latinos are underrepresented in positions such as district executives, legislators, sheriffs and prosecutors. Representation on school boards also shows a disparity, although it is less drastic than in other areas of government.

It further highlights the importance of Latino representation in decision-making positions, noting that local elected officials play a significant role in governing the lives of millions of residents, and the lack of Latino representation in local government spheres does not paint an optimistic picture of representation in local government.

The report also shows the persistence of this underrepresentation in other areas of society, such as Congress, where only 9.7% of members are Latino, and in the corporate environment, where, despite the increase in the Latino workforce, the proportion of Latino executives remains disproportionately low. The study suggests that if the trend continues, the representation gap could widen to 650% by 2050.