Carson City voter registration up in 2016

More registered voters have been recorded in Carson City so far this year than at the same time two years ago during the last election season, according to January 2016 voter registration data collected by the Nevada Secretary of State’s Office.

More than 27,600 registered voters were recorded in Carson City as of January 2016, the Secretary of State’s Office reports.

Increased voter registration, in fact, appears to be a statewide trend, too, the Secretary of State’s Office also reports.

Voter registration over the past few elections has remained pretty stable in Carson City, data from the Carson City Clerk’s Office shows. Between about 26,000 and 29,000 voters typically register between January and October of an election year.

This data also shows that registration is highest after the primary elections.

“I think we’ve always had low turnout in the primaries,” Carson City Clerk-Recorder Susan Merriwether said. “Many of Carson City’s offices are non-partisan, so it’s a non-partisan election.”

Presidential primaries in Carson City also generally have lower turnout of voters than the non-presidential primary elections, Merriwether said.

Data from the Carson City Clerk’s Office shows voter turnout for the primary election in June 2014 was more than 35 percent. In 2012, a presidential election year, the turnout of Carson City voters in the June primary election was just a little over 34 percent.

The data between 2008 and 2010 primaries was even more stark. Nearly 52 percent of registered voters in Carson City turned out in the 2010 primary, a non-presidential election year, while less than 38 percent of registered voters turned out in the August 2008 presidential primary.

Merriwether said this is likely due to many statewide offices — such as Nevada’s governor — facing election during mid-term presidential years.

Nevadans, she said, appear to have stronger showings at the primary polls when voting on statewide offices.

“We stay pretty average,” Merriwether said of voter turnout in Carson City. “Between 80 and 90 percent for a general election, and that’s very steady.”

Nonetheless, despite historically lower voter turnout in the presidential primaries, there has still been a steady increase in the number of registered voters tallied between January and October of an election year.

Carson City saw an increase of more than 3,000 registered voters during that period eight years ago. The increases in subsequent election years showed comparable trends in voter registration between January and October.

Merriwether acknowledged that often one highly contentious race can draw many more people to the polls than average.

“There’s usually one race that draws attention,” she said. “A hotly contested race will bring the percentage (of voters) up.”

One of this year’s more closely watched political races in Nevada will be the campaign to replace Harry Reid in the U.S. Senate, Merriwether said.

Reid, a five-term Democrat from Searchlight, decided last year not to seek another term, leaving the door wide open for a newcomer.

Former Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez-Masto and current U.S. Representative, Dr. Joe Heck, of the Third Congressional District in Las Vegas, are the front-runners of the Democrat and Republican parties, respectively.

As important as the general election will be for Reid’s U.S. Senate seat, though, Merriwether cautioned voters not to underestimate the importance of the primary election.

“It’s not just the general election that elects a candidate,” she said. “If you’re not participating in the primary, you’re limiting yourself.”

Merriwether made note of a new law passed by the Nevada Legislature during the last biennial session that changes which candidates can contend for office in the general election.

Senate Bill 499, passed by the Nevada Legislature in 2015, changed the language of existing election laws, which allowed the two highest vote-getters in a primary election to face off in the general election, regardless of party affiliation.

According to the Legislative Counsel Bureau, the new law clarifies that the highest vote-getter in each major political party must be declared that party’s nominee for candidacy in the fall general election.

This gives greater significance to the primary election, Merriwether said, as registered party voters now must select their nominee to represent the party ticket in the general election.

Of the more than 27,000 registered voters in Carson City so far this year, over 8,500 of them are Democrats and more than 12,000 are Republicans.

The deadline to register to vote in Carson City for the 2016 primary election is May 24. The 2016 Nevada Primary Election is held June 14 with early voting from May 28 through June 10.

The deadline to register to vote for the general election is Oct. 18 with early voting from Oct. 22-Nov. 4.

Merriwether directs potential voters to register online at www.registertovotenv.gov.

“Make sure you’re registered,” she said, and “come out and vote.”