Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020 | 2 a.m.
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Nevada’s teenagers discovered their political muscle in 2018, and they didn’t let it go to waste.
That’s the upshot of new research by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), which reported that 30% of Nevada’s 18- and 19-year-olds voted in the last election. That was significantly higher than the national turnout of 23% among teen voters that year.
While there’s plenty of room for more participation among young voters in Nevada and nationwide, the state turnout from 2018 was encouraging for several reasons.
One, it bodes well for participation this year and in coming elections. The reason: Once voters become familiar with the process, they’re more likely to return to the ballot box as they grow older.
Two, it strengthens Nevada as a barrier against the extremist, destructive policies of the Trump-era Republican Party. That’s because younger voters overall tend to lean more progressive than their older peers, and because Nevada’s teen voters include a significant percentage of Hispanic immigrants who activated in opposition to President Donald Trump’s racist immigration policies.
Three, voter-rights advocates say the above-average teen turnout reflects local efforts to make voting easier and more convenient for Clark County residents. That includes replacing the precinct system with voting centers across the county — including at schools — which allow anyone to vote in any balloting location. Another factor was the work of NextGen Nevada, the organization founded by California billionaire and Democratic presidential hopeful Tom Steyer to get young people to the polls. The group was a hugely influential force in turning out the vote.
Four, the teens were part of a bigger story in Nevada in 2018 involving influential turnout of millennials and members of Generation Z. Those voters helped Nevada send a wave of reasonable, bipartisan-minded candidates into leadership positions in 2018, including Sen. Jacky Rosen; Reps. Susie Lee, Steven Horsford and Susie Lee; Gov. Steve Sisolak; and a host of state legislators who swung control of both the Senate and Assembly to Democrats.
For Nevada Republicans, the strong turnout from voters in their teens, 20s and early 30s should be a loud message that the party is going down the wrong road with its extreme stances on immigration, gun policy, women’s reproductive rights and other key issues.
But sadly, the Nevada GOP has lost its way since the days when it was led by moderate Gov. Brian Sandoval, who enjoyed enormous support while bucking the national party on many of those issues. Nevada, like the nation itself, is best served when there’s strong leadership from both sides of the aisle, which fosters vigorous debate on issues and fully rounded policymaking.
As is, Republicans have careened so far right that they’ve marginalized themselves in Nevada.
Worse yet, they went all-in for Trump and his toxic policies by scrapping their caucus this year, further alienating the moderates in their ranks and giving the GOP less hope of winning over independent voters in Nevada.
This is exactly the wrong direction for the state party, as suggested by the turnout of Nevada’s teens and young Hispanic voters in 2018. Given that young Latinos are among the nation’s fastest-growing demographics and that Generation Z (those 23 and under) recently supplanted the baby boomers as the largest generation in the U.S., Nevada Republicans are committing political suicide long-term by shutting them out.
It’s a shame. To the responsible Nevada Republicans who hate seeing what the party has become under Trump — and we know that’s a sizable group — all we can say is hang in there and keep up the good fight to restore some semblance of normalcy in the state GOP.
Meanwhile, to the teen voters who turned out in 2018, we say bravo and thank you for helping to keep Nevada on the right trajectory as a state where responsible, compassionate governing is taking place. We’d also encourage you to rally the first-time voters of 2020 to follow your lead.
Nationally, Republican strategists have recognized for years that the increasing diversification of the American population would hurt them at the polls, as would the powerhouse numbers of Gen Z. In many states, they’ve reacted by attacking democracy through rampant gerrymandering, voter suppression efforts, downright vote tampering and through scorched-earth tactics like holding last-minute votes to reduce the power of incoming Democratic governors.
Their game plan: If you can’t win the popular vote, rig the system to keep a grasp on power.
But in Nevada, we’ve taken a stand against such subterfuge. And as shown by the teen vote in 2018, a strong new generation of voters has joined the fight to protect our democracy.
