Washington ( CNN ) -- When presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney appears before Latino small-business owners in Washington on Wednesday , he 'll address a group whose explosive birth rates foreshadow a seismic political shift in GOP strongholds in the Deep South and Southwest . `` The Republicans ' problem is their voters are white , aging and dying off , '' said David Bositis , a senior research associate at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies , who studies minority political engagement . `` There will come a time when they suffer catastrophic losses with the realization of the population changes . '' Over the next several generations , the wave of minority voters -- who , according to U.S. Census figures released this week , now represent more than half of the nation 's population born in the past year -- will become more of a power base in places like Alabama , Mississippi and Georgia . That hold will extend across the Southwest all the way to California , experts say . Opinion : Sorry Rush Limbaugh , minorities not looking for 'payback ' The coming political revolution could result in a massive changing of the guard on nearly every level of government , potential cultural clashes , and the type of political alliances that are now considered rare . Offspring of immigrant farm workers . In Georgia , those rumblings are already being felt . It is a state that depends heavily on immigrant labor to pick peaches and peanuts and work in poultry plants . So when Georgia -- like its Southern sister states of Alabama , Louisiana , Mississippi , Tennessee and South Carolina -- passed a tough anti-immigration bill that also penalizes businesses , Hispanic groups and farmers alike pushed back . `` This election cycle Latinos in Georgia are upset about ( the law ) , '' said Jerry Gonzalez , executive director of GALEO , a nonprofit and nonpartisan group geared toward Georgia 's growing Latino population . `` That 's going to spur more galvanization than we 've ever seen before . '' According to the Pew Hispanic Center , Southeastern states such as Alabama , Arkansas , Kentucky , Mississippi , North Carolina , South Carolina and Tennessee boast some of the greatest percentage increases in Latino population growth . They are also states where the percentage of Hispanics roughly doubled . And , according to Pew , the Latino population boom helped Arizona , Florida , Georgia , Nevada , South Carolina , Texas , Utah and Washington net additional congressional seats . Though Georgia 's Latino population has mushroomed over the past ten years , according to Pew , roughly 23 % of that group is eligible to vote , compared to roughly 76.2 % of whites and just over 69 % of African-Americans . Still , activists like Gonzalez are hopeful that lawmakers will see the trends and recognize `` Latinos merit a seat at the table as well . '' So far , Republican efforts to offer Latinos a place at the table have fallen short . The nation 's Hispanics tend to vote Democratic , and overwhelmingly supported Barack Obama and Joe Biden in 2008 . Romney in particular has stumbled with this critical voting bloc , after his comments suggesting that making the economic landscape tough for illegal immigrants will force them to `` self deport . '' Trying to convince a growing population . Even Republican Hispanic lawmakers , such as Sen. Marco Rubio , R-Florida , have urged the GOP to soften its language when discussing immigration and such proposals as the House-passed version of the Violence Against Women Act , which killed expanded coverage for illegal immigrants and Native Americans who are victims of domestic abuse , and the failed DREAM Act , which would have given U.S. residency to immigrant kids with high school diplomas . The GOP is trying to clean up its image with Hispanic voters , with an eye toward the demographic 's looming political clout . Romney is slated to speak at the Latino Coalition 's Annual Economic Summit in Washington on Wednesday . Last week , his campaign released `` Dia Uno , '' a Spanish-language version of an ad underscoring Romney 's mission for the first day he assumes the presidency . If Republicans continue to struggle to appeal to Latino voters , Spanish-language ads may not stave off a change that experts like Bositis see coming in the not too distant future , when states such as Georgia go purple and eventually blue . `` There 'll be a tipping point where you 've got the Republicans in charge , but you 'll get to the point when the population becomes minority , '' Bositis said . `` When that happens the statewide offices will fall . Republican governors will fall . Things will change . '' This announcement on birth rates `` should be a wake-up call to everyone running for political office from this day forward , '' said Lionel Sosa , a veteran Latino GOP strategist who has helped advise candidates since 1980 . `` Latinos should no longer be considered minorities . In many crucial electoral states , this 'former minority ' is fast becoming the deciding vote . The candidate who reaches out most effectively will win their support . '' `` Token efforts , such as tamale parties , will no longer work . Winning will require more than outreach . It will require inclusion , '' Sosa said . `` Latinos , African-Americans and people of other races must be represented in the important decision-making strategies of any given campaign , whether it be for a Democrat or Republican . ''
Births of nonwhites have now overtaken births of whites , according to the U.S. Census . Republicans face uphill battle in persuading Latinos to vote for their candidates . Comment: