skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Nevada's Demographic Shifts Could Shape Election Outcomes

play audio
Play

Friday, September 18, 2020   

LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Mobilizing young voters is a challenge even without a pandemic, but a Nevada grassroots group is taking advantage of changing technology to reach them - especially Latinos voting for the first time.

Bob Fulkerson, development director with the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, said since the PLAN group launched in 1994, Nevada's demographics have changed dramatically.

In those 26 years, the percentage of Nevadans of color has grown from 21% to 52%, and many will be voting for the first time. He said PLAN is reaching out using new technologies -- and hearing a lot of frustration that people hope to resolve at the ballot box.

"What we're hearing is people are frustrated, people are anxious, people are hurt and people are resolute," said Fulkerson, "to do something about the chaos that they find our country and our communities in."

Nearly 20% of eligible voters in Nevada are Latino, which is the sixth-largest Hispanic eligible voter share nationally, according the Pew Research Center. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that one Latino in the U.S. turns 18 every 30 seconds and becomes eligible to vote.

Fulkerson said the pandemic has forced PLAN to get creative with reaching voters. Instead of going door-to-door, smart phones and video-conferencing are being used.

And while the contact isn't as personal, he said hundreds and even thousands of people can be reached - and most want to talk about issues important to them.

"The voters that have turned out in the last election are saying, 'Of course I'm going to be there.'" said Fulkerson. "The people for whom this is the first time need some nudging -- they need some conversation."

Nevada has voted Democratic in presidential elections since 2008, but polls show the race between Democratic candidate Joe Biden and President Donald Trump tightening in the past few weeks.

Disclosure: Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada contributes to our fund for reporting on Budget Policy & Priorities, Environment, Human Rights/Racial Justice, Immigrant Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021