Latino voters in eight Mountain West states are concerned about conservation, recreation and renewable energy ahead of the midterm elections. Those are the findings of the annual Conservation in the West poll which surveyed over 3,400 registered voters in January.
The poll found that 84% of Latino voters believe climate change is a serious problem. And 91% feel that national monument designations should be safeguarded from changes.
The poll also asked participants to rate their support for different forms of energy. Yesica Chavez with the Colorado Department of Natural Resources said “45% of Latinos think that we should utilize solar power, 12% natural gas, 9% wind power and for oil and coal, it was less than 5%.”
Diana Haro with the Southern Wilderness Alliance in Utah said the results show Latino voters, and the general population, want elected officials to represent their concerns.
“So when leaders act in contradiction to this, they’re doing this clearly without listening to the wishes of the people that elected them.”
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio, KJZZ in Arizona and NPR, with additional support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
