SALT LAKE CITY — Latinos aren't the only constituency Carlos Moreno has courted in his bid for the District 2 seat on the Salt Lake County Council.

"Every vote is important, no matter your ethnicity, background or economic challenges," he said. "Your vote is your voice."

That said, District 2 has a high concentration of Latinos, according to Moreno, and as such, reaching out to the community has been a focus of his campaigning. Among other things, Moreno's mailers and social media posts are both in English and Spanish. "Language is essential, especially in Salt Lake County Council District 2," he said.

Beyond that, Moreno, a Republican and naturalized U.S. citizen who came from Venezuela seeking political asylum from the socialist regime there, thinks the Latino vote can have "a decisive role" in many of the elections on the west side of Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County. That's where the group's numbers are concentrated.

"The Latino community, perhaps without realizing it, now has the power to determine through their vote who will represent them in the Legislature, the county government and in local elections," said Moreno, vying for the District 2 seat along with Democrat Katie Olson.

Much has been made of the Latino vote, particularly at the national level. Latinos have been the key motor to U.S. population growth, according to U.S. Census Bureau data, and, after non-Hispanic white people, rank as the second-largest racial or ethnic group in the country. Both Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris have sought support from Latinos, who have typically leaned Democratic in presidential balloting, though some polling indicates the Democratic edge is narrowing.

In Utah, by contrast, the focus on the Latino voting bloc hasn't been as intense, maybe because the state, which tilts Republican, isn't a national electoral battleground. Nevertheless, Latinos are a growing segment of the population, 16% of the total as of 2023, according to the Census Bureau, and candidates like Moreno and Ross Romero see the electoral potential in the group.

Romero, a Democrat seeking the District 4 Salt Lake County Council post, has reached out to both the Black and Hispanic communities, among others, in his campaigning. He's vying with Republican Roger Livingston and Utah Forward hopeful Nolan Kruse for the District 4 seat.

"I would say that they are engaged. I would say they will be voting," said Romero, born in the United States and of Mexican and European descent. "The opportunity that exists in the Latino community in Utah is significant, both (in) terms of voters, workers, community leaders, all of that."

Utah's Latinos, however, trend on the younger side, many not yet of voting age, though the "vast majority" are U.S. citizens, and he said the group's political power isn't commensurate with its numbers. "They may not yet be of voting age, but they're coming," said Romero, who's received the endorsement of the Latino Victory Fund, a national Latino advocacy group.

'A lot of work to do'

While accounting for an estimated 16% of Utah's 3.42 million residents as of 2023, nearly 547,000 people, Latinos statewide accounted for just 5.5% of Utah's registered voters as of 2022 and 4.2% of the total that voted that year, according to UnidosUS, another Latino advocacy group. Nationally, Latinos represented 11.2% of total registered voters and 9.7% of actual voters, according to UnidosUS, while University of Florida data shows Latino turnout typically trailing that of Black and white voters and others.

Indeed, Arlene Anderson, a member of the Ogden school board and the only elected Latina currently serving in Weber County, sees significant potential of Latinos as a voting bloc — if they were to register and cast ballots in numbers that parallel their share of the population. Still, in her duties with the Weber County League of Women Voters, which has been registering voters through the summer and fall, she's seen inroads.

"We still have a lot of work to do, but we're definitely seeing an uptick in registrations of communities of color," she said.

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Moreover, groups like Comunidades Unidas, an immigrant and Latino advocacy group in West Valley City, have pushed to bolster Latino involvement in elections through an initiative called Tu Voto Cuenta or, in English, Your Vote Counts. "We recognize that voting is important, and that's another way of building power," said Mayra Cedano, the Comunidades Unidas executive director.

But registering voters is just one part of the effort, she said, noting "a gap" between those who register and those who actually vote. With that in mind, Comunidades Unidas will also send text messages reminding people to vote and, on Election Day, direct people who need to vote in person to polling places.

As for issues, concerns in the Latino community don't stray far from the worries of the electorate as a whole, as Cedano, Moreno and Romero see it. The economy, inflation and housing affordability are among key worries.

Cedano said workers' rights and safety are other top issues for Latinos. Immigration reform — crafting some sort of pathway to residency for immigrants here unlawfully — is another.

Moreno cited the presence of "sensitive materials" in school library books as a concern along with inflation and worries that the quality of life in the United States is declining. "We love our families, have a deep connection with God and care about our communities. We want the best for our neighbors," he said.

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