SALT LAKE CITY - In Utah, low voter turnout has been a stubborn problem - and was even the focus of a Governor's Commission a few years ago. So, this Tuesday - National Voter Registration Day - is one more effort to get people excited about being civic-minded.

At the Alliance for a Better Utah, executive director Maryann Martindale acknowledges the challenge of getting people to register and vote in any state where one political party has dominated the action for so long that no one is convinced their vote is needed - to either clinch a win or change it. However, she tells people a voter still plays an important role, even if his or her candidate is not the one who prevails.

"You're still sending a message to the one who does win: 'There's X number of people in your district who aren't happy with what it is you're doing or what your platform is. And if you want to continue to represent them, it would probably be a good idea to start broadening that view and understanding what it is your constituents are after.'"

She also points out that it sometimes takes only a handful of votes to decide the winner in some city, county and judicial races. Of the state's eligible voters, Martindale says, only about half cast ballots in Utah.

"It's unfortunate that we take it for granted, because there are people who die for the right to vote - still, today. There are countries where people can't vote. There are countries where women still can't vote; where ethnic minorities can't vote. It hasn't been that long ago in this country when blacks were kept from voting, when women were kept from voting."

Utah's ethnic population now represents about one in five residents, and the state Multicultural Affairs office wants to be sure those voices are heard on Election Day. Its office at 300 S. Rio Grande St., Salt Lake City, will be open on National Voter Registration Day from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. for drop-in registration. Director Claudia Nakano says they will ask to see identification and confirm that the basic residence requirements are met.

"Individuals must be at least 18 years old, on or before Nov. 6, 2012. They must be a citizen of the United States, and must be a resident of Utah for at least 30 days before November 6th of this year."

The Voter Registration Day event is for any new Utah voter or for those who need to update their registration information. You can also register online at www.vote.utah.gov or in person at your County Clerk's office.

The Alliance has produced new videos to explain the voter registration process in English and Spanish. They're online at betterutah.org. The League of Women Voters also has information on its website, lwvutah.org. More information is available at nationalvoterregistrationday.org.




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A piece of legislation is headed to Gov. Joe Lombardo's desk which would allow medical aid in dying in Nevada.

Last week, Senate Bill 239 made its way out of the state assembly on a 23-19 vote, which could give terminally ill adults the option to request a medical prescription for a peaceful death in the Silver State.

Sara Manns, Nevada campaign director for the Compassion & Choices Action Network, said she is thankful to Sen. Edgar Flores, D-Las Vegas, "for shepherding it through" what she called a "challenging legislative obstacle course."

Manns added the support for the law is "overwhelming," and according to a new poll by the group, 82% of Nevadans support medical-aid-in-dying legislation.

"Regardless of political affiliation, regardless of religion, regardless of rural, urban," Manns outlined. "This is something where once people know what it is, they would want to have it available to them. Would they all want to do it? Of course not."

Manns emphasized it has taken the Nevada End of Life Options Act eight years since its initial introduction in 2015 to get to this point. She noted her group, like many, is hopeful the governor will sign the bill. She added once the bill reaches his desk, he will have 10 days to sign it.

Lynda Brooks-Bracey, 57, a Las Vegas mother of four with terminal metastatic pancreatic cancer, said she was "excited" and feeling "anticipatory" when she found the bill had made it past the second house.

Brooks-Bracey learned she was terminally ill in February 2021. During her last months of life, she has made it her mission to be an advocate for the measure. Brooks-Bracey stressed she and her family feel hopeful Lombardo will approach the bill in a neutral manner and pay attention to what Nevadans want.

"It has taken time to get the right bill, at the right time, that's clean, in front of this new governor here in Nevada that we have elected," Brooks-Bracey recalled. "And that he is neutral, that he is considering it, that he's looking at it. I think all things have come together in an appropriate time frame that Nevadans want it. They're ready for it."

Eleven jurisdictions have authorized medical aid in dying including 10 states and the District of Columbia. Compassion & Choices said no governor has ever vetoed a medical-aid-in-dying bill in any of the six states passing laws via legislative action.

The rise of medical cannabis dispensaries in Georgia is highlighting the need for reform and equitable access.

One of the state's first dispensaries opened in April, offering easier access to low THC medical cannabis oils for some patients.

Valeria Valdepeña, executive director of the advocacy group Peachtree NORML, stressed there are still questions about cannabis equity and accessibility in the program, among other concerns.

"Reforming laws in general will have a wide effect on a lot of different aspects of people's lives," Valdepeña pointed out. "There's overcrowding in our prison system, there's people dying there for drug charges there's people that have felony records that impacts housing, school loans and keeps them in this poverty-stricken cycle."

Currently, first-offense possession for an ounce or less of cannabis carries a maximum penalty of up to one year in prison, and more than 40,000 Georgians are arrested every year for marijuana possession.

Apart from laws reforming marijuana arrests, Valdepeña highlighted the challenge faced by rural residents in accessing necessary resources due to the locations of existing dispensaries.

"I think we are going to need more dispensaries," Valdepeña asserted. "We are going to need delivery obviously because if you live out in rural areas it's going to be hard to come into Metro Atlanta to pick up your medicine, you can't get to the dispensary if they are a far enough distance. So I think from an accessible standpoint -- from a practical standpoint -- those are things that are going to need to be addressed."

Since 2015, the number of patients in the Georgia Department of Public Health's Low-THC Oil Patient Registry has surged more than 50%, from 13,000 to more than 27,000.


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Over the past decade, Minnesota has seen a 38% increase in residents who identify as Latino or Hispanic. Amid a tight labor market, a new report suggests they could play a big role in bolstering the region's workforce.

This spring, the state Department of Economic and Employment Development issued findings that lay out opportunities and challenges for this population when it comes to economic well-being.

For example, Latinos have the highest regional labor force participation rate of any race or origin group - but there are disparities, such as household income.

Henry Jiménez - board member for Comunidades Organizando el Poder y la Acción Latina (COPAL-MN), which is a member-based organization leading social change - suggested employers improve their hiring efforts for well-paying jobs.

"I can tell you right now I hate hearing when folks say, 'Oh, we're having a hard time finding talent,'" said Jiménez. "I can tell you that there's a lot of talent here in Minnesota, and again there's a disconnect with connecting the current pool of qualified candidates."

He encouraged businesses to do more outreach through media outlets that serve Spanish-speaking audiences.

The report says in 2021, 14% of the state's Hispanic or Latino population had incomes below the poverty level, compared with just 7% of white residents.

Jiménez said he also hopes Latino entrepreneurs take note of the population surge and seek out ways to expand their reach.

"There's clearly a need for more produce, products and services by Latinos for Latinos," said Jiménez.

But Jiménez, who also is president of Minnesota's Latino Economic Development Center, noted that access to business loans is a barrier for Latinos.

Meanwhile, manufacturing is the biggest job sector for the state's Hispanic or Latino population. But within the past decade, there's been a more than 300% increase in these individuals being hired for health-care and social-assistance jobs.