CARSON CITY, Nev.-- In an effort to strengthen the voice of Nevada voters, Nevadans for Election Reform filed the “Greater Choice – Greater Voice” initiative with the secretary of state. The initiative seeks to replace the state’s current partisan closed primary system with a single election in November using ranked choice voting (RCV). The plan would combine the state’s primary and general election, which would save taxpayers money. "It doesn't matter what the issue or how critical finding a s...

Nevada could be on its way to implementing Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) if the Greater Choice – Greater Voice initiative being prepared by Nevadans for Election Reform is passed by the voters. The initiative, currently being drafted, would replace the state’s current partisan closed primary system with a single election in November using RCV. Combining the primary and general election will take advantage of the significantly higher turnout in November (three times the turnout of the primary) and ...

Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in 2013 that struck down pre-clearance requirements from the Voting Rights Act, Republican-controlled state legislatures jumped at the opportunity to impose restrictions on who could register and vote. Laws implemented in Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Florida are said to have had major impacts on the outcome of the presidential election in those states. Republicans in Arizona, Texas, Kansas, as well as others continue to explore legislation clearly a...

“It’s not.” “We don’t think it’s worth a hearing. Next question.” With those two short phrases in answer to a reporter’s question, Nevada State Senate Majority Leader Aaron Ford (D-Las Vegas) announced the end of the road for a bill that would have replaced Nevada’s closed primary system with a nonpartisan, top-two open primary. The bill, SB 103, was introduced by Senator James Settelmeyer (R-Minden). It was Settelmeyer’s second attempt to bring top-two to Nevada. In the 2015 session (Nevada’...

On February 7, 2017, the second day of the biannual Nevada legislative session, State Senator James Settelmeyer (R-Minden) introduced Senate Bill (SB) 103. This bill, if passed and signed by the governor, would replace the state’s closed primary system with a non-partisan, blanket top-two primary. The bill is currently awaiting a hearing in the Senate Legislative Operations and Elections Committee. Whether it gets one is up to the committee chair. This is the second consecutive session Senator ...

We hear it all the time. It is probably one of the most discussed issues in American politics -- money and its influence. Why does money have such power in our electoral and governing processes? (According to a June 2015 New York Times / CBS News Poll, 84% believe money has too much influence.) The answer is actually quite simple. The reason is staring at us from the mirror. We, the voters, allow it. Power can be the result of position. Elected officials at all levels have power because of the...

1 = 499. This is not a true or false math quiz. It is a statement of fact. One person not associated with any special interest group, dedicated to the idea of election reform, willing to expend the time and effort to get something done rather than waiting for someone else to act equals Nevada State Senate Bill #499. Back up to September 2013. Nevada has closed partisan primary elections for county, state, and federal elections. No group working election reform in the state had a legislative pl...

As an early Baby Boomer, I feel more than qualified to write about this. My Gen X son never moved back in. Back-up. I just learned he technically did for 5 years. According to an article by Derek Thompson in The Atlantic, we Boomers are holding on to a false perception. It appears we may owe Millennials an apology. Who knew that living in a dormitory or fraternity/sorority house counted as living with your parents. Talk about skewed numbers. Tell me again why the census needs an overhaul? Give...

The choice is theirs to make. If state legislators make the right choice between now and the start of the next legislative session in February 2015 and then follow through during the session, Nevada will have the most inclusive voting process in the nation. Since September of last year, I have been meeting with state legislators, civil liberty, voting rights, and business interest groups, legislative caucus leaders, secretary of state candidates, and election officials. With minor exceptions, m...