Voting effort gains ground

BLACKFOOT, Idaho – A push to register Hispanic voters in key counties across the state appears to be working.

Bingham County Elections Clerk Marlene Jensen said she doesn’t have exact numbers, but more Hispanics seem to be registering there than in past elections.

Jensen’s office has had 1,000 voter registration cards returned in the past 45 days, many of them from Hispanics.

“There have been more Hispanic voters and more voters than normal,” Jensen said.

Idaho Latino Vote has worked at various events around Idaho to encourage Hispanics to register.

At a naturalization ceremony for new United States citizens in Nampa last month, the organization set up a voter registration booth outside the packed auditorium at the Nampa Civic Center.

By the end of the afternoon, there were at least 100 new voter registrations, organizers said.

The project has also targeted Hispanics in Ada, Minidoka, Jerome and Power counties.

Hispanics are the fastest-growing ethnic group in the state, according to census figures.

In 2000, the Hispanic population stood at 7.9 percent. By 2003, it had increased to 8.5 percent. The latest figures estimate the population is now just under 9 percent.

By going to various Hispanic-oriented events, Jensen hopes various groups will prove successful at increasing vote totals.

Many of Idaho’s Hispanic voters will cast ballots for the first time this year, said Maria Gonzalez-Mabbutt, project director for Idaho Latino Vote, which is part of the Idaho Hispanic Caucus Institute for Research and Education.

The Caldwell-based group is unable to determine how many new Hispanic voters are in Idaho because there are many projects under way that don’t report results to Idaho Latino Vote, Gonzalez-Mabbutt said.