Poll: Should daylight saving time become permanent? New Mexicans weigh in

Yahoo

28-02-2025

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Get ready for later sunrises and sunsets: daylight saving time (DST) begins on March 9. Every spring, the debate over the time change seems to reignite. Many people want to keep the jump forward permanently, while others want to stick with standard time year-round. Of course, some people just want the current system to stay. KRQE asked viewers via social media whether the clocks should still be changed twice a year.
An overwhelming 71% of viewers want to keep the upcoming jump permanent. Making daylight saving time year-round would mean later sunrises and sunsets, even in the winter. Many people who prefer this option tend to dislike how early the sun sets in the colder months. The earlier sunsets during standard time are also deterrents for some. 'Stay on DST – no one needs sunshine at 4:30 a.m. Having daylight later in the summer and a bit later in the winter is so much better,' one viewer noted.
Over 10% of viewers, on the other hand, believe standard time should become the norm. While the sun would set later in the afternoon, the later sunrises could be detrimental to early risers. One viewer wants to 'make standard time permanent; our children should not go to school in the morning in the dark. Even in the winter my child is still home before it is dark but the change to daylight savings time would put my child on the bus in the dark in the morning.'
13% of viewers aren't looking for change; they want to keep the current system exactly how it is. 'Leave it as it is right now!!! It stays lighter as the spring and summer come until summer solstice then starts going back down towards fall and winter,' said one viewer.
The remaining 5.5% aren't sure if daylight saving time or standard time is better. Either way, most of them still want the time change to stop. One viewer said they 'don't care what time we end on as long as we can quit jumping around.'
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New Mexico legislators have attempted to stop the time change before. Senate Bill 191 was introduced in 2023, aiming to exempt the state from daylight saving time, but it remains postponed indefinitely. Senate Bill 287, aiming to exempt New Mexico from standard time, was introduced the same year and passed its first committee, but it too is indefinitely postponed.
While there isn't currently any legislation in New Mexico surrounding daylight savings, many states are considering making a change. Some states have already adopted one time zone year-round. Since 1968, Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Nation) has observed Mountain Standard Time when the rest of the country switches to DST. Hawaii also keeps the time the same because of its location so close to the equator, which ensures the state doesn't have much of a difference in how much sun it sees throughout the year.
National polls show that the majority of Americans prefer a permanent daylight saving time, although many health experts disagree with this solution.
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The U.S. has actually attempted to make DST permanent before. In the 1910s, it was enacted as a temporary wartime measure before being repealed after a year. In the midst of World War II, the measure returned, setting off decades of limited guidance on how cities and states should observe their time. Congress passed the Uniform Time Act in 1966, formally standardizing the time change across the U.S. (minus Hawaii and most of Arizona). Then, in 1973, in the throes of an energy crisis, President Nixon signed an emergency daylight saving time bill into law, making DST last the whole year. This change was initially well-liked, but safety concerns soon affected public opinion. In 1974, the U.S. returned to the twice-a-year time change that we are still familiar with today.
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