Latino voters in Nevada voice their top concerns for 2024 election

Nearly a fifth of Nevada’s Latino electorate will vote in their first presidential election in 2024, according to newly released results from a November poll.

Those voters aren’t showing overwhelming support of either major political party. However, they are most concerned about the rising cost of living, low salaries, health care access, gun violence and immigration, according to the BSP Research poll, which was commissioned by the nonpartisan civil rights organization UnidosUS.

Latinos are seen as a key voting bloc in Nevada, comprising over 20 percent of the state’s eligible voters as of November, according to the secretary of state’s office. Yet there are more than 200,000 Latinos who have not registered to vote, according to UnidosUS and advocacy group Mi Familia Vota.

“We must do more to reach these communities, and Nevada is a state with tremendous potential,” said Tim Hernandez, state director for Mi Familia Vota. “We know for Nevada to prosper our community must thrive, engage and vote.”

About 35 percent of Latino voters support Democrats, while 21 percent favor Republicans, the survey found. Many “don’t feel that either party truly cares about the Latino community,” according to the survey.

Politicians must stop treating Latino voters as a monolith focused solely on immigration, said Clarissa Martinez De Castro, vice president of Latino Vote Initiative at UnidosUS.

The survey found Latinos largely want a path to citizenship for “Dreamers,” children who were brought into the United States without documentation, and other immigrants with long-standing ties in the country, according to the survey.

“We have a young and growing electorate, many who will be stepping into the electoral space for the first time next year,” Martinez De Castro said. “And that puts a fine point on the need for candidates and parties to step up their game to either sustain or expand their support with these voters.”

Contact Jimmy Romo at jromo@reviewjournal.com or call 702-383-0350. Follow @jimi_writes on X.