Would-be elected officials considering a run in 2022 would be well-advised to take a look at the changing demographics in Lake Helen.

Although Lake Helen is not an exact representation of the county on average, trends Lake Helen is seeing in the makeup of registered voters parallel changes across the county.

For instance, over the past decade, the number of Hispanic people registered to vote in Lake Helen has jumped significantly — in a town of 2,842 people and 2,321 registered voters — from 29 to 108. 

So, too, has the number of people who label themselves as something other than white, Black or Hispanic: from 56 in 2011 to 85 in 2021.

Likewise, countywide, the number of people who identify as Hispanic and are registered to vote has increased from 19,302 to 41,343, an increase of more than 114 percent. 

And, those who identify as other than white, Black and Hispanic countywide has risen nearly 64 percent, from 14,719 in October 2011 to 24,122 in October 2021.

While the number of older voters in Lake Helen and the county has increased, so too has the number of voters under 40. Lake Helen added 149 new voters younger than 40, so the total of younger voters is more than 27 percent of the voting population. The county has added more than 36,000 voters under 40, and that category is now nearly 30 percent of all registered voters.

Among the offices up for election in 2022:

• Every County Council member other than the chair 
• Odd-numbered School Board districts (1, 3 and 5), representing all of West Volusia and most of Southeast Volusia
• Four of the five seats on the DeLand City Commission