2024 Colorado Latino Policy Agenda

For the fourth consecutive year, economic issues dominate the list of concerns for Latino voters in Colorado, who rank addressing inflation and the rising cost of living as their top policy priorities in the fourth annual Colorado Latino Policy Agenda released today. Low wages, high healthcare costs and the lack of affordable and attainable housing also rank among the top priorities for Latino voters in 2024, along with an increasing emphasis on reforming immigration policies impacting both new arrivals and long-term immigrants.

The Colorado Latino Policy Agenda (CLPA) is an annual, nonpartisan report that provides insight for elected officials, community leaders, media and others interested in the demographic makeup and views of Latinos in Colorado on pressing policy, political, and other relevant issues in the state. 

Among the key findings this year:

• Addressing inflation and the rising cost of living is the top priority for Latino voters at both the state and federal levels for the third consecutive year, as four of the top five priorities focused on economic concerns.
• The economic situation of 65% of Latinos has either not improved (30%) or has become worse (35%) since 2023, nearly identical to a year ago.
• Creating affordable and attainable housing rose three positions to the third-most- important issue for state officials to address in 2024, with a majority (55%) of Latino voters saying elected officials have not effectively addressed the issue in their community.
• Roughly a third of Latinos (30%) prioritize federal immigration issues in the 2024 poll, with 17% saying “protecting immigrant rights/immigration reform” should be a top priority and 13% saying federal officials should “increase border security/limit immigration.”
• Addressing gun violence and mass shootings is the only non-economic issue within the top five priority issues at the national level, ranking among the top five issues for Latino voters for the third consecutive year.
• Homelessness returned as a critical priority for Latino voters in 2024, ranking fourth on the list of most important issues for state leaders to address.
• There is significant support (77%) for access to reproductive healthcare for all, regardless of immigration status, and additionally strong support (68%) for insurance and government plans like Medicaid to cover abortions just like other health services.
• Latino voters show solid support for inclusive measures on the ballot this fall, with 61% support for enshrining abortion rights in the Colorado constitution (Amendment 79)  and 58% support for amending the Colorado constitution to remove the ban on same-sex marriage (Amendment J).