Racial equity. Mental health. Health care. Education. Climate change. These are the issues nearest and dearest to young Coloradans’ hearts, according to research conducted by civic engagement nonprofit New Era Colorado.
Racial equity. Mental health. Health care. Education. Climate change.
New Era Colorado, one of the largest organizations in the nation dedicated to turning out the youth vote and advocating for progressive policies, embarked on a year-long listening tour asking young Coloradans what issues and values mattered most to them.
In 2020, New Era turned out 86% of young people in their base to vote and Colorado boasted the third-highest youth turnout in the country. About 70% of registered voters 18 to 34 years old in Colorado cast ballots in the 2020 election, a 9 percentage point increase from 2016, when turnout was 61%, according to New Era Colorado.
Because racial justice permeates multiple issues, from criminal justice to electoral systems, New Era leaders said they wrote the entire policy platform through a racial justice, anti-racist lens.