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Both major parties make final bids for Nevada Latino voters

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Alex Gonzalez

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(Nevada News Service) Both major-party presidential candidates have made campaign stops in Nevada before Election Day - and they're after the Latino vote.

Latinos make up about one-third of the state's population. New polling by the nonprofit Make the Road Action Nevada has found stronger support for Democratic candidates among Latinos, with a focus on economic justice, health care and reproductive rights.

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University of Nevada Las Vegas qualitative researcher Jessica Soria, an alumnus of UNLV's Coilege of Education, said pollsters spoke with close to 250 voters, and 54 percent said they place their faith in Vice President Kamala Harris' ability to lead the country.

Nationally, Soria said, that figure is between 60 percent and 65 percent.

"The other percentage isn't necessarily in support of Trump; we do have a significantly large percentage of undecided voters," she said. "This gap is really important, because this is an opportunity for our community. This isn't a lack of care or concern, but rather simply, a decision hasn't been made."

Most respondents said their primary concerns relate to income inequality, fair wages and job opportunities, followed by housing affordability. And while new national polling shows former President Donald Trump has closed the gap among Latinos, that could take a hit after last weekend's Madison Square Garden rally, where racist remarks were directed at Hispanics and Latinos.

Leo Murrieta, executive director of Make The Road Action Nevada, said a growing number of Latino voters are opposed to voter ID initiatives that he says would restrict access to the ballot box. Question 7 on this year's Nevada ballot would require folks to show an acceptable form of identification to vote in person. Supporters say it would improve election security and integrity. Murrieta disagrees.

"It is something that is a real threat to the ability to vote freely, for all those who are eligible," he said. "So, it was really refreshing to see that more of our gente are seeing that this is a problem in search for a solution."

He said he's convinced Nevada's current election system is secure. He added that candidates now and in the future need to better understand what Latinos care about and fight for solutions that will make a difference. He said their polling is a useful tool in that effort.