The Latino vote has been on the rise for the last couple of years as we learn more about how our political system impacts us, and why voting is so important.

Our voting rights weren’t handed to us – it took decades of activism to ensure this right, and still governments across the country are passing policies to try to keep Latinos from the polls (like voter ID laws). Voting rights aren’t just a right – they’re a privilege. That’s why it’s so important that Latinos across Colorado and the Southwest not only vote good politicians into office, but hold them accountable for their policies once they’re seated.

Our own state senator, Ellen Roberts, has the opportunity to stand up to members of her own party and fight for funding for Colorado’s clean air programs.

Recently, Republicans at the state level opted to cut funding for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment as a political move to undercut our state’s ability to fight climate change. But those budget cuts also mean demolishing our clean air programs – everything from monitoring to compliance – which means massive public-health and air-quality problems across the Southwest. Latinos in Colorado are widely disproportionately impacted by environmental issues. So, not only will these budget cuts hurt everyone in the Southwest, they’re going to hit communities of color the hardest, where rates of asthma and air-quality-related health issues are already elevated.

It’s completely irresponsible for Roberts to vote for a policy that she knows will have real, negative impacts on her constituents and our community. Undercutting funding for the CDPHE is also a cheap and partisan way to keep Colorado from continuing to be a leader in our transition toward cleaner energy and better air quality. This budget cut is an environmental injustice that Roberts should be fighting. Latinos here in the Southwest should remember issues like this when voting in the coming years.

James Espinoza

Durango