Mi Familia Vota, a national nonprofit with a record of active organization within Southern Nevada’s Latino communities, announced its opposition to Question 3 Friday, saying it could potentially harm people of color.
If passed, the ballot measure would amend the Nevada constitution to allow companies to sell electricity on an open market. It has heavy financial backing from Switch and Las Vegas Sands. NV Energy, the regulated utility, is bankrolling opposition to the measure.
Alicia Contreras, Nevada state director for Mi Familia Vota, said in a statement Friday people of color and low-income communities have been impacted the most in states that have “electricity deregulation.”
“Average electricity rates in all 14 deregulated states are higher than Nevada’s rates, and low-income and minority consumers in those states have been targeted by predatory marketing and sales scams,” she said. “Question 3 would also hurt clean energy development in Nevada by canceling plans to double our renewable energy production by 2023. Latino voters – and all Nevadans – should vote NO on Question 3 in November.”
Mi Familia Vota joins other environmental groups that previously came out against initiative. The Sierra Club, Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, the Natural Resources Defense Council and Western Resources Advocates issued a joint statement in July opposing the measure.
Earlier this week, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce also announced its opposition to Question 3.
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