Colorado Latino voters name economic, ‘pocketbook’ concerns as priority ahead of November

Voting stations are arranged at the Weld County Elections office in Greeley on June 25, 2024. (Andrew Fraieli/Colorado Newsline)

Latino voters in Colorado say their top issues heading into the election this November are the rising cost of living, low wages and high prices of housing and health care, according to an annual statewide survey released Wednesday.

“You see salient issues related to not only the economy overall, but at the individual level related to pocketbook issues and how individuals and families are doing as it relates to their own economic standing,” Gabriel Sanchez from BSP Research told reporters Wednesday.

Inflation and the high cost of living were also the top concerns for Latino voters for the last three years of the survey.

The survey included 1,600 Latino registered voters from across Colorado, with oversampling from the 8th Congressional District. The district, which includes the northern Denver suburbs and extends into Greeley, has the largest Latino population in the state. The survey was conducted from July 5 to Aug. 5 — before the Democratic nominee for president switched from President Joe Biden to Vice President Kamala Harris — and has a margin of error of 2.4 percentage points. It informs the Colorado Latino Policy Agenda, which is led by Voces Unidas and the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights, or COLOR.

Latino voters make up about 17% of Colorado’s electorate, according to the Pew Research Center. The demographic is the second-fastest growing major racial or ethnic group in the American electorate, behind Black voters.

Respondents in the survey named those economic concerns as top priorities at both the state and federal levels. They also identified addressing gun violence, protecting immigrant rights and reducing government spending as relevant issues for Congress, and homelessness as an additional issue they want Gov. Jared Polis and the state Legislature to focus on.

Latino voters view the federal government as more responsible for immigration policy and protecting immigrant rights than the state government: 17% chose it as a top three issue on the national level and 7% named it as a top state issue. At the same time, there was high support for policies Colorado can enact to support immigrants who live in the state, such as financial assistance and protection against discrimination when accessing public services.

Just over one-third of Latino voters say their financial situation has grown worse since 2023 and 30% say their finances are about the same. Those making less than $39,000 per year and those living in urban areas were more likely to say their finances are in a downturn, and 56% reported having less than $1,000 in savings.

“A lot of Latinos in Colorado are still struggling and still waiting to see the economy turn in a positive way for them and their family,” Sanchez said. “It gives us a strong word of caution that a large segment of the Latino population in Colorado still needs financial support, whether that’s through direct cash payments or tax breaks, to be able to weather a continuing struggle.”

On the other side, half of Latino voters in the Boulder-centric 2nd Congressional District and 47% of Latino voters born outside of the country and living in a city said their finances have improved over the past year.

Immigration policy

There is strong support among Latinos on policies to increase legal immigration and ease strains in the current system. Three-fourths agree there should be more opportunities for family and employment-based visas and 72% support increasing the number of immigration judges to shorten the yearslong processing times. Those were provisions in the proposed bipartisan immigration bill that failed in Congress this year.

There is more disagreement with punitive immigration measures. Nearly 60% disagree that all undocumented immigrants living in the United States should be deported and 66% disagree with ending birthright citizenship, two ideas that former President Donald Trump has pledged to enact if reelected.

Nearly 40% of Latino voters support a physical border wall along the Southern border and 65% support immediately deporting immigrants with a criminal record.

Support for asylum is the highest at 75% in the 8th Congressional District. That seat is likely to be the most competitive in Colorado in November, as incumbent Democratic Rep. Yadira Caraveo fights to retain her seat against state Republican Rep. Gabe Evans.

“At the end of the day, we see wide support for things that are rational, right, make common sense and treat immigrants in a humane way,” Sanchez said.

By a 77% to 18% margin, Latinos also support the right to access reproductive health care such as abortion, regardless of immigration status. A bit over 60% support the November measure that would recognize the right to abortion in Colorado and 68% believe that Medicaid should cover abortion costs.

State regulations

The poll also asked opinions on specific state-level policy ideas. Eighty-five percent support regulations to protect workers from extreme heat and cold and 79% support the creation of a state fund to address poor water quality in mobile home parks. Three-fourths of Latino voters support a law to require all emergency notifications, such as the ones to alert residents to fire evacuation orders, to be sent in Spanish and other languages. A similar share said they would support a Language Justice Office, which would facilitate state agencies to provide services in Spanish and other secondary languages.

Sixty percent of respondents support more state funding and legal protections for long-term undocumented immigrants. The Legislature passed multiple funding measures this year to support undocumented migrants in the state, including $24 million for schools and $2.5 million for non-profits that work with the population.

The survey found that Latino voters are more optimistic about the future of Colorado and their county than they are about the country as a whole. Thirty-eight percent of Latino voters think the country is headed in the right direction, compared to 49% who are optimistic about Colorado and 50% about their county. Over 80% say they will likely or certainly vote in November.

It also found, however, that contact between Latino voters and political systems like campaigns is low. That has historically been true, but 44% of voters in Colorado said a candidate, candidate’s team, political party, or advocacy organization had not reached out to them. The highest share of un-contacted Latino voters at 57% is in the 7th Congressional District, which includes Denver’s western suburbs and extends into Jefferson, Park, Lake, Chaffee, Teller, Fremont and Custer counties. The lowest share at 34% is in the competitive 8th District.

Those voters “are not as engaged and will be disenfranchised from the elections and political processes if that rate continues,” Alex Sánchez, president and CEO of Voces Unidas, said.

The survey did not ask voter opinions on specific candidates for any race. A New York Times and Siena College poll from this month found Harris leading Trump 55% to 41% among Hispanic voters nationwide.