After gaining Full Control of State Government in 2018, Nevada Democrats have Advanced a Bundle of Bills to make Voting Easier and increase Turnout, Passing them out of at least One Legislative Chamber ahead of a Critical Deadline to do so.
Each Proposal has Advanced with at least a Few Republicans Voting in Favor.
Starting off, the Assembly Passed a Bill to Restore Voting Rights to Everyone who is No Longer Incarcerated for a Felony Conviction, meaning Citizens would be able to Vote if they are on Parole, Probation, or Post-Sentence. Currently, Nevada Permanently Disenfranchises some but Not All People with Felony Convictions.
The Assembly also Passed another Bill to End "Prison Gerrymandering" by Counting Prisoners for Redistricting purposes at their Last Address instead where they're Incarcerated, which could Shift Representation from Rural White Communities to Urban Communities of Color, particularly at the Local Level.
Separately, the Assembly Approved a Bill Sponsored by Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske (R) that would require Local Elections be held on Dates that Coincide with Federal and State Elections instead of in the Spring or in Odd-Numbered years. Assembly Members also Passed a Bill to Require a General Election take Place for Local Offices even if a Candidate Wins a Majority in the Primary. Together, these Two Bills would mean Local Elections would get decided in November of Even-Numbered years, which would Boost Participation considerably in some Locales.
The Assembly also Unanimously Passed a Bill to Establish a Permanent Polling Place on each Native American Reservation in the State unless a Reservation specifically asks to Change it. Many People Living on Remote Reservations lack Reliable Transportation Options, so establishing Local Polling Places should Improve Voting access.
Meanwhile, the State Senate Passed a Bill to Allow Voters to turn in their Absentee Ballots at any Early Voting Location in their County. Currently, Voters must either Send Ballots via the Mail or Drop Them Off at their County Clerk's Office, so having Multiple Drop-Off Locations would make turning in a Mail Ballot in Person much more Convenient.
Finally, the Senate also Passed a Bill to Change the Recall Process. Republicans had tried to Abuse the Recall Process solely for Partisan Gain in 2017 because they Lost Control of the Legislature in 2016 and had No Realistic Path to Regaining Power in last year's Elections.
That Effort had Failed after courts Ruled that Republicans Failed to Turn in Enough Valid Signatures for the Three Democratic Senators they had Targeted, None of whom had been Accused of any Sort of Wrongdoing that the Recall Process is intended to address.
The Senate's Bill would Require that All Recall Petition Signatures be Verified instead of a Random Sampling of them. It would further Impose that Cost on Recall Backers while also Limiting Individual Donor Contributions to $5,000 for Recall Special Elections.
The Bill furthermore gives Voters Ample Opportunity to Rescind their Signatures if they choose to do so, which many Voters did in 2017 after Democrats Countered the GOP's Misinformation Campaign. It lastly Imposes Criminal Penalties for those who attempt to Deceive Voters into Signing.
One more Bill has yet to Pass either Chamber but is Exempted from the Deadline the others faced, and it contains several Election-Related Provisions. The most Significant among them would establish Same-Day Voter Registration, Expand the Availability of Early Voting, and Implement an Automatic Voter Registration Law that Voters Passed at the Ballot Box in 2018.
The Bill would also Allow Counties to Adopt "Vote Centers," where any Voter can Cast a Ballot instead of just being able to do so at their Local Polling Place.
Additionally, another Provision would let Voters Opt-In to Permanently receive Absentee Mail Ballots for Every Election instead of having to Request them each year. That could significantly Boost the Use of Mail Voting, which has become Very Popular in neighboring Arizona after it Implemented a similar Option.
Lastly, the Bill would let 17-year-olds Vote in Primaries if they turn 18 by the General Election.
With Democrats holding Full Control of State Government, All of these Bills stand a Good Chance of becoming Law.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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