Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Analysis:

Still haven’t voted? Today’s the day

Early Voting Begins in Nevada

Steve Marcus

A poll worker displays “I Voted” stickers during the first day of early voting in Las Vegas Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020.

Today, Nevadans have a chance to help shape the future of the state’s universities and colleges, influence the course of a recent progressive movement in state government, and determine whether to build a firewall of protections to our access to the polls. Oh yeah, and then there’s that matter of deciding who will be the president of the United States come January.

That’s an enormous amount of power in one ballot, and that’s just a partial list of what’s on the line in the 2020 election.

For Nevadans who haven’t voted yet, here are five reasons to consider going out and taking part.

1. This is about way more than the presidency

The five ballot questions this year include whether to change the oversight structure of the state’s higher-education system by restructuring the Nevada Board of Regents; whether to add a firewall of protections to Nevadans’ voting access by adding a Voters Bill of Rights to the constitution; and whether to establish a hard target on expanding green energy in the state by requiring energy utilities to obtain 50% of their power from renewable sources by 2030.

Meanwhile, the outcome of key legislative races will determine whether Democrats obtain a supermajority in the Senate and protect their supermajority in the Assembly.

That would have significant implications, as a supermajority — holding two-thirds of the seats — would let Democrats approve tax and revenue increases without any Republican votes. If you like the current state of affairs in the Legislature, which voters flooded with Democrats in 2018, today is a chance to put the Democrats on an even smoother glide path on any number of issues — climate control, gun violence, health care, immigration, etc. If you don’t like what you’re seeing in Carson City, it’s a chance to throw sand in the gears by electing Republicans or other candidates.

2. Nothing’s been decided yet

Perhaps you’ve heard that early voting and mail-in balloting set records this year in Nevada and elsewhere, and you wonder if it’s too late for your vote to matter.

It’s not.

Yes, it’s true that a record 91.6 million Americans have already voted. But that amounts to only 43% of registered voters nationwide, according to published reports. And those 91.6 million early voters represent only about two-thirds of the total number of voters who cast ballots in 2016.

3. Safety precautions in place

This is a highly worrisome time, no doubt: Law enforcement departments nationwide are preparing for civil unrest, businesses are boarding up windows and purchasing insurance to protect them from being damaged or looted, etc.

Meanwhile, due largely to President Donald Trump encouraging right-wing extremist groups and others to stake out polls, concerns about voter intimidation and interference are running high.

But Clark County voters should know that Metro Police have additional officers on the streets today and will be working to ensure voters can cast their ballots safely and without interference. In addition, the staff at voting centers has been trained on the regulations governing voting observers and will be expected to work with law enforcement to ensure they’re enforced.

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford has been adamant that his office will watch closely for reports of voter intimidation and will prosecute violators to the full extent of the law. In Nevada, it’s punishable as a Class E felony, which carries a prison sentence of up to four years.

And what about the coronavirus? Clark County has taken extensive precautions to protect voters and staff, including wipedowns of all equipment between uses, placing clear shields between staff and voters, and requiring masks for everyone in voting centers. For individuals who are uncomfortable wearing masks for medical reasons or otherwise, staff are expected to allow them to vote in isolated areas.

4. Voting can be done easily

In Southern Nevada, voters can cast their ballots today at any of 125 voting centers in the valley. Clark County did away with its precinct system in 2018 in favor of voting centers, which allow local residents to cast their ballots wherever it’s most convenient for them — near work, near their home, while out shopping, etc.

Voters who prefer not to stand in line and cast their ballots on a voting machine can still hand-deliver their mailed ballot in drop-off sites, as well.

And finally, it’s also still possible to register today. Simply take a valid Nevada driver’s license or state ID to the polls.

5. Battleground Nevada?

Hillary Clinton beat Trump in Nevada in 2016, the third consecutive win by a Democratic presidential candidate in the state, and Nevadans displayed strong anti-Trump sentiment two years later by voting heavily for Democratic candidates in the midterms.

But the Trump camp hasn’t treated Nevada like a state that has turned from purple to bright blue. Instead, the campaign saw an opportunity to flip a state that Clinton carried by a margin of less than 27,000 of the million-plus votes cast.

Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and members of the Trump family held numerous rallies here, and until recently the Trump campaign was spending significantly on TV advertising. That changed when his campaign’s financial struggles forced it to scale back spending in several states, including Nevada.

Meanwhile, former Vice President Joe Biden hasn’t taken Nevada for granted. Flush with cash after swamping Trump in fundraising, Biden unleashed a torrent of TV ad buys during the final week of the election in Nevada and numerous other states. Here and in those other states, Biden outspent Trump.

Could Nevada play the same role that Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania played in 2016 when they swung to Trump and gave him his path to victory? The numbers would suggest it’s unlikely, but the possibility has pumped energy and urgency into the get-out-the-vote effort on both sides.

Today, the parties are urging voters that there’s no room for let-up. And certainly, the stakes could hardly be higher — for the future of the economy, the coronavirus response, health care coverage for millions of Americans, global warming, immigration, gun safety and much more.

If you haven’t voted already, you can help decide the nation’s course today.