Minorities, diversity and the 2008 presidential election.

• Author: Davila, Serena
• Position: Washington insights - Financial Executives International

FEI has begun to make a more conscious effort to develop its diversity initiatives by, among other things, re-invigorating its Diversity Task Force. This group is comprised of several FEI members and chaired by Gerald Urich, director of External Reporting and Compliance for The Hershey Co. Diversity has also been named one of the top priorities of FEI's Chairman for 2008-09 Joe DiLorenzo, who served as the former chair of FEI's Diversity Task Force. Interested FEI members are invited to join these efforts.

FEI National is reaching out to and working more closely with chapters to encourage diversity initiatives. With this and the U.S. 2008 presidential election on our minds, the following will highlight the role minorities could possibly play in the upcoming election.

According to a recent article in The New York Times--citing the Census Bureau--ethnic and racial minorities will become a majority of the United States population in a little more than a generation. This change is occurring faster than previously anticipated; the main reason is attributed to the high birthrates of immigrants, especially Hispanics. Most striking, of course, is that the Caucasian majority will lose its majority in the near future.

With such a sharp change in U.S. demographics, there are bound to be challenges. For one, consider immigration policy. President Bush made a bold attempt to deal with the issue during his administration; but he and Congress could not come to an agreement, and immigration reform failed.

Among other social-policy issues that could arise from the changing demographics are health care and poverty. Another is simply living with different languages and customs.

Diversity and the Candidates

So what does diversity mean for the 2008 election for president and other positions, and for the immediate future? For one, candidates will need to place more emphasis on the minority vote than ever before. Of all the presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), perhaps, made the most reported attempts to reach Hispanics and appeal to the Hispanic vote.

It is quite possible that Hispanics could determine the election between Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Barack Obama (D-lll.), a diversity candidate himself. As they recognize the impending change, both candidates will likely campaign more among these segments and cater to their political interests.

The changing demographic will also likely impact the issues the next U.S. President addresses. Big...