Nevada League of Women Voters hosts fourth and final election forum in Brewery Arts Center in Carson City

League of Women Voters of Northern Nevada, AAUW Capital (NV) Branch and Sierra Nevada Forums presented the last of four election forums of 2022 on Friday, Oct. 17 located at the Brewery Arts Center in Carson City.

In this first part of the forum there were speakers talking on behalf of Ballot Question 3, Ranked Choice and Open Primary. The pro-speaker for Question 3 was Sondra Cosgrove, a history professor at the College of Southern Nevada and Executive Director of VOTE NV. The con-speaker was Marcos Lopez, the Outreach and Coalitions Director for the Nevada Policy Research Institute.

Then, it was Secretary of State candidates included Democratic candidate, Cisco Aguilar and Republican candidate Jim Marchant. Marchant was invited but did not attend.

Finally, the candidates for Carson City Clerk-Recorder included non-partisan candidate, William "Scott" Hoen and nonpartisan candidate, Stacie Wilke-McCulloch.

The moderator for this forum was Anne Macquarie.

In each of the different parts of the forums, they are given an opening statement, asked questions and allowed a rebuttal. Some of the questions in all of the forums are questions from the audience. Below are the summarized responses of each candidate.

Ballot Question 3 Speakers

Ballot Question 3: Shall the Nevada Constitution be amended to allow all Nevada voters the right to participate in open primary elections to choose candidates for the general election in which all voters may then rank the remaining candidates by preference for the offices of U.S. Senators, U.S. Representatives, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, State Controller, Attorney General, and State Legislators?

The forum between pro-speaker, Cosgrove and con-speaker Lopez began with their opening statements. It was agreed to let Cosgrove give her opening statement first.

• Opening Statements:

In her statement, Cosgrove tries to help better understand the ballot question. She said almost 700,000 Nevada voters are denied the right to vote a full ballot in the primary. She said rank-choice voting does not violate the one candidate rule. It removes partisan barriers to the candidates in the races. It allows for more options in the general election.

In Lopez's statement, he said Question 3 is not the best move. He wants a system that allows for more options and more parties. He said trying to remove this after it passes will take 4-8 years to get the process wrapped up. He said this will reinforce the two-party system. He says the only difference in the primary is you have to pick a party. He wants voters to pick the best move.

Here are the questions and summarized responses of each of the candidate, including rebuttals:

• Question 1: What kind of training would be provided to educate the public on how to use rank-choice ballots and do you think this training will be adequate?

Lopez: He said you want to look-up alternate vote systems. It depends on if your local Clerk is on board. He said if they believed in it they would put more resources in to help, if they didn't it would not.

Cosgrove: She said it's very similar to the mail-in ballots. People were putting the effort to learn how to use a mail-in ballot. She said the process will be the same for rank-choice voting. The amendment will not go into effect until 2026 and she said she will make sure Nevadans come together to help one another

• Question 2: What safeguards would be in place to detect and correct voter errors?

Cosgrove: She said the same thing happens with mail-ins. She said you can order a new ballot or go to a polling location to vote. She said the same implications could be made for rank-choice.

Lopez: He said election security is often talked about lately. He thinks because there's a large group doubting the system, he said it's enough that there needs to be a response to give to them. He said rank-choice voting will lead to more distrust in the system. He said 60% of voters in Alaska voted in the special election, but a Democrat came out. He said this is why he believes in proportionality.

Cosgrove's rebuttal: She said during that special election, there were a lot of Republicans did not want Sarah Palin, so not all Republicans ranked red.

Lopez's rebuttal: He said in that situation, Republicans lost because a large portion only vote for one individual. He said that's his concern for the system

• Question 3: Would open primaries with rank-choice voting require extra staffing and resources at the local and state offices?

Lopez: He said he doesn't think he's qualified to answer that and the state government or taxpayers should be paying for primaries in general.

Cosgrove: She said it's a printing and software issue. It's not more staffing or more work for anyone.

• Question 4: [From the audience] Primary elections are the mechanism for political parties to choose nominees. Why should voters who are not in a party get to vote in a party's nomination process?

Cosgrove: She said voters get to decide what primaries are for. If they want exclusive parties, they can do that. But if they want to just decide what candidates move forward, they can do that instead.

Sims: He said they should have enough parties that there should be a choice across the board based on their voices. He said most people tend to strongly go with one party or another.

Cosgrove's rebuttal: She said regardless of parties, she wants everyone's voices included and if they're excluding 700,000 people, then she worries about the decision-making in the democracy.

Lopez's rebuttal: What is stopping them from just registering and un-registering for the primary?

Cosgrove's rebuttal: She said they shouldn't have to because the Constitution doesn't require you to register.

• Question 5: [From the audience] What are the impacts on political parties in Nevada if Question 3 is passed?

Lopez: He said it will weaken political parties, which are essential to the system for voter participation and voter mobilization. He does not think political parties should be eliminated. He wants to strengthen parties and allow for more party voices.

Cosgrove: She said political parties have a monopoly on the political system that gets rid of competition. She said she wants political parties to compete again to make them more engaged with voters.

Lopez's rebuttal: He said these people are already engaged. He said the reason they are not engaging is because they choose not to vote or they're a regular voter who votes for one party only.

• Question 6: What is the motivation for a group to spend money on passing or defeating Question 3?

Cosgrove: She said young voters like her students are shut out and they feel like they are not engaged. She doesn't want to lose their engagement. She said they feel like their vote doesn't matter. She said they have to do something because their democracy isn't healthy

Lopez: He said only the factions of the parties who are out of place will benefit. Right now, he said they are the ones pushing for this reform. It consists of interest groups who don't get their way with these parties.

Cosgrove's rebuttal: She said everyone is mad at them, so she doesn't know who's actually benefitting.

Lopez's rebuttal: He said go to the contribution reports because there are a lot of groups who said they would feel the benefit.

• Question 7 [From the audience] How does Question 3 help voters who are already members of parties?

Sims: He said it doesn't help them. The only difference is there will be a wild card addition to it. He said where this has been applied it usually doesn't work out. He said they need to first get used to multi-party systems.

Cosgrove: She said they don't have any third parties because there is no way in the system to keep viable other parties, but she thinks they should. People feel nervous about voting who they really want to vote for will cause a split vote and it'll end up with the candidate they don't want

• Closing Statements:

In Lopez’s closing statement, he said the argument for no is to not make a mistake that will take too long to undo. He said this will just provide factualism arguments and it'll allow people to cause controversy in the opposite party.

In Cosgrove's closing statement, she said the reason they're doing it is to allow people to see someone they can relate to moving forward. She wants more people engaged and be part of the democracy so they don't end up with extremists getting elected.

Secretary of State Candidates

The forum consisted of only Aguilar. Marchant failed to accept the invitation.

• Opening Statements:

In his opening statement, Aguilar said he understands the system of corporate filings so he can help small businesses. He said he also wants to oversee election security and he thinks they have done a great job putting Nevadans first.

• Question 1: Do you accept the results of the 2020 presidential election as legitimate? What measures do you believe are necessary to ensure fair, accurate elections?

Aguilar: He said yes. He believes the 17 counties do the elections and the Secretary acts as a regulator to make sure everyone is acting fair, something that they will hold the people accountable for if they are not being fair. He said the great access to the polls, the better off they are going to be as a state.

• Question 2: What specific action will you take to ensure equal access to voting?

Aguilar: He said early voting and mail-ins is critical to give everyone the opportunity to have a voice. He said to look at processes and systems to make sure they're secure all the time or improve on them.

• Question 3: Given the disturbing increase of threats of violence to election officials across the nation, how will you ensure safety to yourself and your staff?

Aguilar: He said he is choosing to do this, knowing the risks. He is more concerned about the volunteers and workers. He wants to enter legislation to make it a felony to harass or threaten an election worker.

• Question 4: How will you balance the various roles of Secretary of State including business licensing, corporate registration and notaries with the highly scrutinized election responsibilities?

Aguilar: He said counting on a good staff and delegating is key, as well as setting a goal of what you want to achieve.

• Question 5: Please explain your position on open primaries and rank-choice voting.

Aguilar: He said there are two individual issues to be addressed. He thinks they should first focus on improving voter access. However, he will do whatever the will of the voters are, so if they are in favor of it, he will implement it.

• Question 6 Under what circumstances would you refuse to certify an election?

Aguilar: He said it is a rare situation. If they're certified by the counties, he will do the will of the voters and do what he needs to.

• Question 7: What recommendations would you offer to help small businesses thrive?

Aguilar: He said they need to fix the Silver Flume system because it's complicated and it needs to be easier for small businesses to use.

• Question 8: (From the audience) One of the responsibilities of Secretary of State is to serve on the Prison Board. What are your priorities and concerns as a prison board member.

Aguilar: He said there needs to be analysis of the system and even though he doesn't have a lot of experience, he will speak to advocates about improving it.

• Question 9: [From the audience] What specific proposal do you have for the website?

Aguilar: He said using individuals on the other end that have the experience to help and change the system to serve the clients in the best way they can. He said they need to ask questions on what they want to see improved.

• Question 10: [From the audience] What are your educational skills and background that make you qualified for this office?

Aguilar: He said being an attorney and helping people increase their educational and work experience at a young age. He said understanding the corporate filing system will help him help small businesses. He also has experience as a regulator which will help in the election system as he previously said.

• Question 11: Should we go back to only voting in-person with voter ID?

Aguilar: He said voter ID is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. He said there are already safeguards and they just need to make sure to monitor and improve them. Voting on one day is not reliable because people are working during the Election Day. He said he wants to give everyone the opportunity and access to vote.

• Closing Statements:

Aguilar then gave his closing statement. He said the future of our democracy hangs in the balance. They need to do this for the future generations. To change that is to get parents to the polls to vote.

Carson City Clerk Recorder Candidates

This forum consisted of the two nonpartisan candidates, Hoen and Wilke-McCulloch.

Opening Statements:

The speakers began with their opening statements. It was agreed to let Wilke-McCulloch go first

In her statement, Wilke-McCulloch is on the Carson City School Board and used to be a manager in the gaming industry. She said there are laws and regulations that must be followed which she will help do. She said she is the most qualified.

In Hoen's opening statement, he said he can manage budget and data in this job. He was a poll worker so he has experience in the election. He said people don't have confidence in the election system which is his primary goal here. He said he is also really good with technology to help him in this job.

• Question 1: Do you accept the results of the 2020 presidential election as legitimate? What measures do you believe are necessary to ensure fair, accurate elections?

Hoen: He said yes. He said he understands why the controversy exists because many people have concerns. He said they need to clean up voter rolls by moving people to inactive status and stay on top of the problem.

Wilke-McCulloch She said she believes it was fair and safe. She never wandered from this opinion. She said she can refer to the IT department for help if she needs it. She said she trusts the system unlike the people her opponent "hangs out with."

Hoen's rebuttal: He said being an election poll worker, he sees people caring about their vote and he believes in making the election system fair.

• Question 2: What is your understanding of the job of Clerk-Recorder and how will you balance those responsibilities. Do you think they should be separate public offices?

Wilke-McCulloch: She lists all the departments of Clerk-Recorder and then says her experience at the casinos have given her the skills to balance all the departments. She said it's up to the legislatures to divide the position, but she's willing to look into it.

Hoen: He said the office today has got a full-plate. He said they may eventually have to divide it as they get bigger in the future, but the key to success is cross-training clerks. If someone gets hits by a bus, someone else can do the job he said. He also has experience with dealing with the fraud.

• Question 3: What procedures would you use to hire and train poll workers?

Hoen: He said for the next three elections he wants a diverse selection of poll workers from each party. He thinks they should be fair and transparent about it and make sure the right people know they can be a poll worker.

Wilke-McCulloch: She thinks the procedures and policies in place are working. She also thinks there should be outreach to get poll workers. She thinks reaching out to young people can show them they can change the democracy. She wants to make sure poll workers are safe.

Hoen's rebuttal: He said training is going to be important because signature verification is always a question.

• Question 4: How will you preserve the integrity of the office and conduct business with transparency during a contentious political season?

Wilke-McCulloch: She said on the school board she has the training of transparency already. She said they need to keep the policies in place and keep being transparent and keep the signature system in the safe way it is. She said the biggest thing is making people feel safe.

Hoen: He said the voters must trust the staff and the Clerk-Recorder. Overcommunicating with the people is important in all contexts. He said he wants people to feel comfortable about the voting system. He said following through and investigating mistakes is important. He said safety is an issue here.

• Question 5: Do you believe mail-in voting benefits voters and how will you ensure the security of these ballots?

Hoen: He said they put in mail-in ballots in like 90 days and he said there are issues with mail-ins because voter rolls. He said he wants transparency with signature verification on mail-in ballots.

Wilke-McCulloch: She thinks mail-in ballots are very accessible. She said they've been doing it with the military for years and they haven't had issues with fraud or security. She thinks they are very secure and voters can even track their vote.

Hoen's rebuttal: He said there was ballot-harvesting and they have to make sure it's secure.

• Question 6: What is your position on Ballot Question 3?

Hoen: He said he's going to do what the voters want to be done. However, he said from a business POV, new equipment and software and more training will be needed. He said parties exist for a reason and it will be expensive to educate the community and it's confusing.

Wilke-McCulloch: If the voter decide that's what they want to do, then she'll do it. She said if there's anything they can do to bring voters back and bring more candidates could help and she's for it. She said when you need the money to do something, you find the money. She thinks the community could come together to do it if they need to.

Hoen's rebuttal: He said no parties are increasing.

• Question 7: Please describe your management style.

Hoen: He said he's a very participative manager. He doesn't micro-manage, but delegates to people. He said communication so they are all going in the same direction is key. He wants people to want to work for him because they believe in his style.

Wilke-McCulloch She said she is not a micro-manager but she does work with and listen to her staff. She just said she needs to mold all the ideas. She's willing to be hands-on and help others use their own style to do what they want. She said retention is very important.

• Question 8: There is a perception that some poll workers are being trained to challenge voters. Do you think that's appropriate?

Wilke-McCulloch: She said no and she doesn't think it's happening because the current Recorder is doing a great job.

Hoen: He said no he doesn't think that's happening either because in his experience it never happened and he trusts the Carson City people.

• Question 9: What does the Clerk-Recorder's office do to clean up voter roles?

Hoen: He said he thinks it's a time management issue. He said they are following the rules and regulations but they need to spend more time moving people to inactive voter access to clean the voter roles up. He thinks they need to show people how they're doing it too.

Wilke-McCulloch: She said they are already cleaning up the roles. She said they do their maintenance on a monthly basis and continue once the election concludes. She said death and duplicate voters are dealt with on a daily basis.

Hoen's rebuttal: He said the inactive voters are the ones that have to say they moved. He thinks this needs to be fixed to clean up the roles.

• Question 10: What is your position on hand-counted ballots versus electronic voting machines?

Wilke-McCulloch She said she thinks hand-counting makes them go backwards and the electronic system is safe and efficient. She said hand-counting can bring more mistakes.

Hoen: He said it's not a Clerk decision but a Board of Supervisors decision. He said they're figuring out ways to do both, but it would be a challenge in Carson City and it would be expensive. But he knows other Clerks-Recorders and having a coalition will allow them to have a voice in the legislature.

Wilke-McCulloch's rebuttal: She said there's already an association with the Clerk with phone calls. She said she understands collaboration and also has connections.

• Question 11: What specific measures will you take to ensure equal access to voting?

Wilke-McCulloch: She said they have the procedures in tact. They have early, mail-in and day of voting and as long as those are accessible and safe they are doing all they can do.

Hoen: He agrees. As long as they're done in a secure way it's effective. He said if people want to vote they can vote. There's no obstacle now to doing that.

Closing Statements:

In Hoen's closing statement, he said he's a hands-on manager and his biggest goal is to be transparent, restore voter roles and make sure it's easy to vote and hard to cheat. He said he's the most qualified candidate.

In Wilke-McCulloch's closing statement, she said she's all about transparency, integrity and compliance. She said this position needs a great manager and someone they can trust, something she can be for them.

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To view the livestream of the third election forum on Oct. 17, click here.

To access nonpartisan information on local and state candidates, go to www.vote411.org

Mail-in ballots will be sent to all Carson City voters. In person early voting is from Saturday, October 22 through Friday, November 4. Election Day is Tuesday Nov. 8.

For more information, check the Carson City elections website https://www.carson.org/government/departments-a-f/clerk-recorder/electio... and the Secretary of State elections website https://www.nvsos.gov/sos/elections/election-information.

The League of Women Voters of Northern Nevada is a non-partisan non-profit organization supporting public information and involvement to promote informed voting and public participation.

Sierra Nevada Forums provides citizens with fact-based verifiable information to assist them in making well-informed decisions on issues of importance to our community and beyond.

The mission of the American Association of University Women is to advance gender equity for women and girls through research, education and advocacy. AAUW Capital (NV) branch is the local entity.