But the survey also drew many hundreds of responses from rural voters, conservative voters, young voters and those who identified as Latino, Black, Asian, Indigenous or members of another community of color — groups that together made up more than a quarter of all responses and whose experiences with key issues such as the cost of living, immigration or the environment influence their priorities in ways that may differ from the greater pool of responses.
Sift through the written answers to the question “What do you want candidates to focus on as they compete for your vote?” and a more detailed picture emerges of how Coloradans view the stakes of this election.
Voter Voices Election coverage
Throughout the high-stakes, high-anxiety 2024 election, Coloradans who’ve taken our Voter Voices survey have been consistent about their top concern: Democracy and good government.
That’s the chief takeaway from the more than 7,200 people who weighed at any time, from early this spring through this week.
Their other top issues? The economy, climate and the environment, immigration and abortion.
But dig into the details of who took the survey and the top issues, and their rankings shift — rising and falling with age, gender and politics. The younger the voter, the higher “social justice and equity” ranks as a priority. Women ranked abortion much higher than men. Conservatives ranked immigration and personal liberty higher than liberals and moderates.
Still, “democracy and good government” — including preserving and protecting the rule of law and access to the ballot, finding the balance of national security and individual liberty, stopping the erosion of civility and compromise — dominated Voter Voices responses.
“Without Democracy, we have no say, no civil rights, no human rights. Everything depends on Democracy or nothing else will work,” wrote Grand Junction resident Maria Cuthbert, a Latina who identifies herself as politically liberal.
Conservatives who filled out the Voter Voices survey were far more likely than liberals to say they have no confidence that the national election will be conducted fairly. However, people across the political spectrum showed much more faith in the reliability and security of Colorado’s election system.
RELATED: Colorado voter guide: Stories, explainers and endorsements for the 2024 election
The anxiety, frustration and uncertainty reflected in the answers mirror the findings of a recent New York Times/Siena College poll, in which three-quarters of respondents said democracy is under threat. And, like that poll, the how and why of that threat is colored by political affiliation.
Voter Voices was an effort led by the Colorado News Collaborative and Colorado Public Radio. The Denver Post was among more than 60 Colorado newsrooms that took part, asking voters in their communities what they wanted candidates to talk about as they competed for their votes. The thousands of community responses have been used by local newsrooms to inform election stories, voter guides, candidate forums and questionnaires throughout Colorado.
The survey was not a scientific poll and the overall rankings of top voter issues reflect the tilt among respondents toward older, white women — the same demographic that is generally more likely to vote. The responses also lean to the left, a reflection in part of where most Coloradans live — the blue Front Range.
A heat map shows where responses to the Voter Voices survey by Colorado news outlets came from, by zip code. (Provided by Colorado News Collaborative)
But the survey also drew many hundreds of responses from rural voters, conservative voters, young voters and those who identified as Latino, Black, Asian, Indigenous or members of another community of color — groups that together made up more than a quarter of all responses and whose experiences with key …read more
Source:: The Denver Post – Politics