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Instead of trekking to Denver to cast ballots in Sunday's Peruvian presidential election, citizens of that nation living in Utah can now vote in Salt Lake City at the new consulate located here.
David Utrilla, Peru's honorary consul in Utah, said about 3,000 ballots for the election arrived this week and he expects they will all be used.
"It was a long way for Peruvians to go when it was in Denver," Utrilla said. "I think this will be most welcomed."
The ballots are also available for Peruvians living in Montana and Idaho — though he said those populations of eligible voters are much smaller.
The consulate is a small office located about a block south of EnergySolutions Arena and it consists of five part-time staffers. Even Utrilla is part time. His full-time job is president of U.S. Translation Co. — an Ogden-based outfit he founded almost two decades ago that provides translation services to private companies.
Utrilla is a dual-citizen and said the consulate was opened in Utah because of the high number of Peruvians living in the state. He said, behind Mexico, Peru accounts for the largest immigrant group living in Utah. Utrilla said there are 20,000 Peruvians living in Utah but the pool of eligible voters is much smaller because of age and Peruvian citizenship requirements.
"They've come here for the job opportunities," he said of the large Utah population of Peruvians. "Other states like Nevada, California and Arizona aren't doing so well."
He said there is great interest in the Peruvian presidential election as it's a tight race between Ollanta Humala, former President Alejandro Toledo, Keiko Fujimo and Pablo Kuczynski. If none eclipses the 50 percent mark, there will be a run-off June 5.
Utrilla said the race is close enough that some of the candidates have been running ads on Spanish-language stations to draw voters in the United States. Utrilla and other observers believe there will be a run-off.
"Some believe the votes coming from the United States could determine the winners," he said.
Tony Yapias, director of Proyecto Latino de Utah, said he was appreciative of the convenience of now being able to cast ballots in Salt Lake City and planned to vote for Toledo.
"I'm voting for the status quo," he said.
However, Yapias also said in elections in the '80s, he remembered being able to vote in Peruvian elections through an honorary consul in Utah. He said it has only been in the past decade that the Peruvian consulate in Denver handled voting in Utah.
While the consulate offers voting convenience, Utrilla said it's also a full-service consulate that can help people with everything from passports to legalizing documents. Soon, he said, the consulate will also be able to issue visas — notably ones for LDS missionaries traveling to Peru.
LDS Church spokesman Scott Trotter said the church has had "a long, congenial history" with Peru in the issuance of visas.
"We're especially grateful to have had the opportunity to work with our Peruvian associates in the consular offices in Denver, and look forward to meeting and working with our new associates in Salt Lake City," Trotter said.
Peruvians vote in Utah
P Where • Episcopal Church Center, 75 S. 200 East
When • Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Also available • Four immigration attorneys to answer questions about recent passage of immigration bills in Utah