WASHINGTON – A survey finds minorities hold only 14 percent of state lawmakers’ seats, even though minorities make up 40 percent of the United States population.

This comes from the New American Leaders Project, which released its study of 2015 officeholders on Monday.

Black politicians held around nine percent of the seats, Latino and Latina politicians held about four percent of the seats and Asian American politicians held about two percent. Native American officeholders numbered less than one percent.

The president and founder of the New American Leaders Project says there should be more effort toward recruiting minority candidates to run for office and supporting them once they make the leap into politics.