News Center: Faculty Spotlight

Henry Flores

Since 1986, Dr. Flores has served as an expert witness in more than 50 federal voting and civil rights lawsuits including serving as the statistical testifying expert in NAACP v. Harris, which focused on the presidential challenge in Florida in 2000. Flores’ expertise was crucial in LULAC v. Perry case, the 2006 U.S. Supreme Court case resulted in lines in five Texas Congressional districts to be redrawn. His expert testimony helped prove that the division of two congressional districts in Laredo, Texas had violated provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He has also presented before Texas Legislature Redistricting Committees and testified before U.S. House Committees on voting irregularities.

His expertise and knowledge of the Chicano Civil Rights movement is unprecedented, which led him to interviewed and featured as part of the PBS documentary “American Experience: A Class Apart”—a series that focused on the U.S. Supreme Court case Hernandez v. Texas which successfully challenged Jim Crow–style discrimination against Mexican Americans.

Dr. Henry Flores is also a renowned Latino political voting expert and is frequently called on for comment by local, national and even international media, both in and out of election cycles.

Along with being the dean of St. Mary’s University’s Graduate School, Flores has also taught political science courses for more than 25 years. He’s been active with many community–based organizations such as COPS, Metro Alliance in San Antonio, LULAC, NAACP, MALDEF, the Southwest Voting Registration Project, and the Esperanza Environmental Justice Project.

Recently Flores wrote and presented a paper at the Athens Institute for Education and Research’s (ATINER) 8th Annual International Politics Conference in Athens Greece. “The Changing Face of the American Electorate and the Possible Effects on USA Immigration Policy” asserts that 80 percent of Latinos, no matter what their party affiliation or their national heritage, galvanize over one central issue—immigration reform! Flores’ study shows that traditionally 65 percent of Latinos vote Democrat. He asserts that if Democrats present a party platform on immigration reform that Latinos would support that voting block would jump to 80 percent.

This could be the key to President Obama staying in the White House or the GOP moving back in. Flores’ study reminds us that 90 percent of Latino Registered Voters live in 15 states which hold 295 of the electoral college votes. It only takes 270 to elect the President. In 2008, Barack Obama won 13 of those key 15 states.

On how the Republicans won back control of Congress ...
"The Republicans simply out–organized the Democrats at all levels. Republicans energized their base using the Tea Party while the Democrats fell asleep at the wheel."

On the 2012 forthcoming Presidential Election ...
“Latinos will be the single most important voting block of the 2012 Presidential Election. Whichever party manages to win the Latino vote will have the White House for years to come."

On how the 2010 Census results will change the landscape of Texas and American politics ...
"Nationally the 2010 Census will reveal that Latinos will be the most strategically based ethnic group in the country when speaking of the distribution of Electoral College votes. For Texas, high Latino growth areas will result in at least two new congressional seats that will elect Latinos to office."

On Hispanic voting trends ...
"Unless the Republican Party drops its anti–immigrant rhetoric, it will cause Latino voters to flock in increasingly large numbers to the Democratic Party, thus sealing the long–term fate of the Republicans."