Ballot Question 3 the topic at Monday's Democratic luncheon

The featured speakers at Monday's Democratic luncheon will be Sondra Cosgrove, PhD, professor of history at the College of Southern Nevada, former president of the League of Women Voters of Nevada, and founder and executive director of both Fair Maps Nevada and Vote Nevada.

Dr. Cosgrove will lead an hour-long discussion of Ballot Question 3, which would reshape the way general elections are conducted in the Silver State through adoption of open primaries and ranked-choice voting. She will appear via Zoom from Las Vegas. Anchoring the discussion locally will be Doug Goodman, founder and executive director of Nevadans for Election Reform.

The following summary of facts about and arguments for and against Question 3 by Rio Lacanlale of the Reno Gazette Journal was published on Wednesday October 19.

What to know about Question 3, ranked-choice voting, open primaries

This November, Nevadans will weigh in on three different ballot measures.

One of them — Question 3 — could dramatically reshape the way elections are conducted in the Silver State.

Here's a breakdown of the ballot initiative.

What is Question 3?

The ballot measure, formally known as "Better Voting Nevada," can be broken down into two parts.

First, it asks voters to bring open primary elections to the Silver State, and second, it calls on voters to implement ranked-choice voting for general elections.

The changes would affect only the following top-ballot races: U.S. Congressional, governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, Nevada treasurer, state controller, attorney general and the Nevada Legislature.

Why does it matter?

Right now, Nevada runs closed primary elections, meaning voters who are not registered with one of the two major parties — Republican or Democrat — are excluded from casting ballots in partisan races.

Nonpartisan voters make up nearly 29 percent of the state's active registered voters. That means about a third of Nevadans don't have a say in the candidates who move onto the general election.

How would an open primary work?

If the Silver State opens up its primary contests to all registered voters, Nevadans will be able to cast a ballot for any candidate in the affected races.

For those offices, all candidates and voters would participate in a single primary election regardless of their party.

The top five finishers would then advance to the general election, which would be determined by ranked-choice voting. Under this change, no more than five candidates will move onto the general election.

What is ranked-choice voting?

Under this election overhaul, voters rank up to five candidates in order by preference during the general election.

The candidate to win more than 50% of the vote would be elected to office, but if no candidate wins an outright majority, the contender with the fewest "first-choice" votes would be eliminated.

Then, in a process that would repeat until one candidate wins a majority, votes for the eliminated candidate would be redistributed to voters' next choice.

What are the arguments for open primaries and ranked-choice voting?

Supporters of Question 3 argue that the state's current election system disenfranchises voters, stifles voter turnout in primary elections and creates an "unending gridlock" because "a small vocal base of voters determines our choices for the general election."

"You should not have to belong to a political party to exercise your right to vote," says Doug Goodman, a coalition member of Nevada Voters First, the political action committee backing the initiative.

In 2020, Nevada’s Democratic presidential caucuses utilized ranked-choice ballots.

“Nobody thought it was confusing then,” said Sondra Cosgrove, who is also a member of Nevada Voters First.

What does the opposition have to say?

Opponents of Question 3 argue that ranked-choice voting is confusing and could open the door to more errors during the tabulation process.

They also argue that the process is "tedious" and could decrease participation in elections.

“Ranked-choice voting makes casting a ballot more time-consuming, more complicated and more confusing for voters,” Emily Persaud-Zamora, executive director of Silver State Voices, has said.

What happens if the measure passes in November?

Because Question 3 would amend the state constitution, voters will have to pass the measure this November and again in the 2024 election cycle.

If that happens, state lawmakers would need to adopt the legislation by July 1, 2025.

Nevada would then conduct its 2026 election with open primaries and ranked-choice voting.

How should I vote on Question 3?

If you vote "yes" on Question 3, that means you want to amend Articles 5 and 15 of the state constitution to adopt the proposed changes.

A "no" vote would mean no changes are made to Nevada's voting processes. Primary elections will remain "closed," and you will continue to mark down your one preferred candidate per race on your general election ballot.

Sponsored by the Democratic Men's Committee, this event is scheduled for 1:00 PM on Monday, October 24th, and can be attended either in person at Black Bear Diner, inside Max Casino, or online via Zoom. The presentation will begin after all the lunch orders have been taken, around 1:30. Those wishing to be on distribution for luncheon Zoom links should contact Rich Dunn at richdunn@aol.com.