Shuttles to an early voting site are made available to voters during a rally for Jacky Rosen, Democratic candidate for Nevada Senate, at the Arts District in downtown Las Vegas Friday, Nov. 2, 2018.
Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018 | 9:44 p.m.
Related Content
RENO — Four out of 10 of Nevada's active voters already have cast their ballots ahead of Tuesday's general election, with Democrats leading Republicans in statewide turnout 41 percent to 38 percent, the Secretary of State's Office said Saturday.
Independents, non-partisan and other parties made up 21 percent of the early turnout.
The 40.2 percent total early turnout among the 1.6 million active registered voters includes in-person voting, absentees and mail-in ballots.
As expected, the early turnout lags the 53.2 percent during the 2016 presidential election year in the western battleground state, which Democrat Hillary Clinton carried that year.
But it dwarfs the 25.4 percent early turnout during the last midterm election in 2014.
This year, Republican Sen. Dean Heller is trying to fend off Democratic Rep. Jacky Rosen and Republican Adam Laxalt is battling Democrat Steve Sisolak for governor.
Key open congressional seats left open by departing incumbent Democrats in a pair of swing districts in southern Nevada also are up for grabs.
"It's a turnout game," said Rep. Mark Amodei, a Republican whose 2nd District in northern Nevada is the safest red one in the state.
"The whole nation is watching," he said at a GOP rally on Friday in Reno with Heller, Laxalt and Donald Trump Jr.
Carson City Elections Deputy Aubrey Rowlatt said more than 20 people were in line at any one time to cast early ballots on Friday, the last day of early voting.
"It's been really busy," she told the Nevada Appeal. "We've had close to 1,000 people nearly every day."
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy planned an appearance Saturday at the GOP's Summerlin field office in Las Vegas with former Rep. Cresent Hardy. He's in a rematch with ex-Rep. Steven Horsford in southern Nevada's 4th District, where incumbent Democrat Ruben Kihuen decided against seeking re-election in the face of sexual misconduct allegations.
Rosen left the 3rd District to challenge Heller. Republican Danny Tarkanian and Democrat Susie Lee are vying for her seat.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani planned an appearance late Saturday afternoon at Tarkanian's field office in Las Vegas. Lee hosted a health care round-table Saturday with former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley at a Las Vegas diner.
O'Malley planned to join Sisolak at a luncheon in Sparks on Sunday, between Sisolak's appearance with Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve at a Reno coffee shop and his stop at Washoe County's Democratic headquarters.
Laxalt thanked his volunteers at a rally Saturday in Reno before they headed out to knock on doors, appeared at an event in Carson City at the Twisted Scizzors where free haircuts were offered to veterans and planned a stop in Gardnerville Saturday afternoon.
Sisolak rallied with union members at a series of events in Las Vegas Saturday, while Rosen hosted a gathering with her volunteers in Henderson.
Heller's campaign didn't respond to requests for comment about his plans on Saturday.
Democrats held the active voter registration advantage over Republicans when registration closed Oct. 18 — 38.3 percent to 33.5 percent.
The secretary of state said Saturday 88 percent of the 628,771 early ballots were cast in person at early voting polls. About 11.6 percent were through absentee ballots and 0.4 percent mailed in.
In Clark County including Las Vegas, Democrats had 45 percent of the turnout to Republicans 34 percent. The county accounts for 70 percent of all active voters statewide.
In Washoe County including Reno-Sparks, which accounts for 17 percent of the statewide vote, Democrats had 40.5 percent and the GOP 39 percent.
Republicans outpaced Democrats in all other counties. That included Carson City, 49 percent to 31 percent; Douglas County, 58 percent to 24 percent; Elko County, 65 percent to 16 percent; Lyon County, 57 percent to 23 percent; and Nye County, 55 percent to 25 percent.
