Southern Colorado's Hidden Election Story: Hispanic Voters Step Back as State Celebrates Record Turnout

While Colorado officials touted increased voter participation statewide in 2024, a different story was unfolding in the neighborhoods of Pueblo and across Southern Colorado's 3rd Congressional District.

New research from Colorado State University Pueblo (CSU Pueblo) reveals Hispanic voters and working-class communities participated at significantly lower rates in the 2024 general election, bucking the statewide trend that saw overall turnout climb compared to 2020.

The findings, released this week by the Southern Colorado Center for Politics and Public Affairs, paint a picture of growing electoral inequality in a region where demographic and economic divides increasingly translate into political ones.

“When you dig into the precinct-level data, you see that Colorado's success story doesn't extend to everyone,”  said Eddie Lucero, the CSU Pueblo assistant professor who authored the report. “Some of our most vulnerable communities are becoming more disconnected from the electoral process.”

The 3rd Congressional District tells a complex demographic story. Home to 726,000 people with a median age of 41.6, the district saw its population grow by 0.43% between 2022 and 2023. Median household income climbed from $65,374 to $69,034, a 5.6% increase that sounds encouraging on paper. But underneath those numbers, Lucero discovered something different.

While 67.4% of the district identifies as White (Non-Hispanic), significant populations of White (Hispanic) residents (11.7%) and those identifying as Two+ (Hispanic) (8.52%) call the area home. About 5.23% of residents were born outside the country. These communities, Lucero found, are becoming less connected to the electoral process.

The research used Census Block Groups rather than traditional precincts to create what may be the most detailed picture yet of voting patterns in the region. Lucero geocoded each registered voter with a Pueblo city address to their census block group, then calculated turnout rates for each neighborhood.

The results were striking. In Pueblo's Eastside neighborhood, four block groups in Census Tract 10 showed turnout rates of just 38%, 55%, 56%, and 57%. Compare that to the University neighborhood, where two block groups in Census Tract 30.4 had turnout rates of 79% and 76%.

“I was most surprised by voters in CD 3,” Lucero noted. “The report shows that almost half of the registered voters in CD 3 are unaffiliated voters. However, that group has low turnout numbers relative to party-affiliated voters.”

This creates a puzzling dynamic. Because both Republicans and Democrats typically focus on mobilizing their base, unaffiliated voters might not be getting contacted by party organizers. “I wonder whether unaffiliated voters are being contacted by party organizers and urged to turn out and vote,” Lucero said. “If not, this also might explain the lower turnout numbers in CD 3.”

The implications stretch beyond academic curiosity. When working-class and Hispanic communities have lower turnout rates, their policy preferences are less likely to be reflected by elected candidates. These groups often have different priorities on housing, renter protections, immigrant rights, and economic development.

Lucero adds that the timing matters. Pueblo faces municipal and school board elections in fall 2025, races that will determine budget priorities and educational policies. The communities showing the lowest turnout are often those most directly affected by local government decisions.

Lucero, who joined the CSUP faculty about two years ago, is still learning about Pueblo's unique political landscape. But he hears economic growth mentioned frequently as a key concern. “City governments are responsible for economic growth, development, and attracting business,” he said. “Ideally, economic growth will mean more jobs with competitive wages for local workers.”

The professor sees a connection between electoral competitiveness and inclusiveness. “When elections are competitive, it incentivizes candidates to mobilize every citizen to gain the vote advantage over their opponents,” he explained. But CD 3 wasn't as competitive as other districts, which tends to reduce attention and spending from national parties.

Part of the problem might be weak voter outreach efforts. Coming from California, where receiving 20 to 40 election mailers and weekly phone calls was normal, Lucero was surprised by the quiet 2024 election season in Pueblo. “I got maybe 5 mailers and no phone calls asking me to vote,” he said.

Local mobilizing organizations have told him they typically lack resources for large canvassing efforts. “Maybe that is where we need to start, building the infrastructure to reach out to as many voters as possible and urging them to turn in their ballots.”

The trend appears to extend across Southern Colorado. Counties including Otero, Las Animas, Huerfano, Costilla, and Alamosa all experienced varying decreases in voter turnout from the previous general election, except for Huerfano County, which saw no change.

But data alone can't explain everything. “The data can only tell us who did not vote; it can't tell us why that person did not vote,” Lucero acknowledged. “Without that bit of information, it is hard to say exactly how civic organizations should change their approach.”

Looking ahead, Lucero hopes to recruit students to help analyze the rest of the voter file and make cross-state comparisons. The work is labor-intensive and time-consuming, but it's a priority for the SOCO Center. Eventually, he'd like to conduct local polling to understand why some groups turn out at higher rates than others.

“In the long term, it would be great if we could do some local polling to understand why some groups are turning out at higher rates than others and what issues voters in the region care about,” he said.

For now, the research serves as both a wake-up call and a roadmap. As Pueblo prepares for crucial local elections in 2025, the question isn't just whether races will be competitive, but whether they'll be inclusive.

“Ideally, everyone would vote in elections,”  Lucero said. Building that kind of democratic participation won't be easy, but the stakes are too high for business as usual.

The full report, "Report on Voter Turnout in the Colorado 3rd Congressional District: 2024 General Election," is available at the SOCO Center website.