Vote Nevada Supporters,

Here are some updates:

The Interim Legislative Education Committee will meet on February 5, 2024, at 9 am.  You can attend in person or view the hearing online, the same as committee meetings during the legislative session.  The difference with the interim hearings is that Southern Nevada legislators could be in the hearing room at the Grant Sawyer Building.  You can review the agenda and presentation materials here:  https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/InterimCommittee/REL/Interim2023/Meeting/34475

There is a movie camera icon above the agenda that will activate before the hearing starts; you can click on that icon to view the hearing online.  The hearing’s overall theme is the state of education, which includes recruitment and retention of teachers. 

I am currently the Vice Chair of the Nevada Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and we just released our latest study on the Teacher and Professional Staff Shortages and Equity in Education in Nevada.  You can read the study, which includes policy recommendations, here: https://www.usccr.gov/files/2024-01/teacher-and-professional-staff-shortages-and-equity-in-education-report.pdf

2024 is an election year, so, if you have voted via a mail-in ballot in the presidential preference primary, you can track your ballot.  Please sign up to track your mail-in ballot; we already have at least 3,600 mail-in ballots that have been rejected and so have not been counted until something is fixed.  https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/nevada-primary-turnout-more-than-90000-votes-cast-mostly-by-mail

You can track your ballot here: https://nevada.ballottrax.net/voter/

It’s also time for candidate forums and civics education about voting and elections.  If you know anyone who would be interested in completing civics training and volunteering to help with two large candidate forums, please pass along this information:

The candidate forums will happen on March 30^th for all open primary down-ballot races and April 27^th for all closed primary top-ballot races.  If you know someone who is running for office, please share this information.  Anyone who participates in the civics training mentioned above will be eligible to volunteer to help manage the candidate forums.

Lastly, Netflix is honoring Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman to run to be president of the United States, with a new biopic that premiers on March 22^nd! 

Vote Nevada and the CSN Women’s Alliance are co-hosting a watch party on March 22^nd at the CSN West Charleston Campus from 6 to 8 pm, in Building K-101. 

You can view the CSN West Charleston map here:  https://www.csn.edu/_csnmedia/documents/charleston-campus-map/2019charlestonmap.pdf  The room in the K building is where the 1 is on the K building on the map.

You can RSVP for the hybrid Zoom option to watch the biopic here:  https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMlc–qpj0qGd0cpCnvK247RSbe_vx0gLlb

Thank you for being Nevadans with me,

Sondra

Vote Nevada is now qualified to receive donations through Smith’s Inspiring Donations, you can read more about how to donate to Vote Nevada each time you use your Smith’s loyalty card here:  https://www.smithsfoodanddrug.com/i/community/smiths-inspiring-donations

Vote Nevada is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit civic engagement organization.  Anyone can become a supporter by emailing info@vote-nevada.org, we have no membership dues. You can now donate to Vote Nevada through PayPal at https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=L423L7FBMMBEA

Vote Nevada Supporters,

We had a good discussion about Shirley Chisholm on Saturday; there was so much to say about Shirley and her legacy that the meeting ran for 90 minutes.  You can watch the recording here: https://vote-nevada.news/ShirleyChisholm

We will have more meetings like this one over the next year.  Shirley Chisholm lived a very instructive life, so, it will take us some time to fully unpack her legacy and to act where she left off.

Friday was the last day to file to run for a judicial seat and the number of contested races is very low, so, instead of hosting a separate judicial candidates forum on February 10, we will include our judicial candidates in the down-ballot, open primary races candidate forum on March 30^th.   Our top-of-the-ticket closed primary races candidate forum will be on April 27^th. 

Both forums will be from 9 a.m. to noon and voters can participate at any time to ask the candidates questions.  We are trying to coordinate so we can host both candidate forums in Las Vegas, Carson City, Reno, and Elko simultaneously.  I will send more information as the details become finalized.

In concert with the candidate forums, Vote Nevada is also offering a new Civics Ambassadors program.  Participants can earn community service hours and some extra income.  We need as many Nevadans as possible to level up their civics knowledge to ensure every voter understands this year’s election processes and can cast a ballot that will count. 

There were over 10,000 ballots between the primary and general elections in 2022 that were not counted due to some type of uncured error.  Let’s commit to doing what we can to bring that number down in 2024.  If we all help each other, I’m sure we can.

If you are interested in participating in the Civics Ambassador program, here is the information:

Thank you for being Nevadans with me,

 Sondra

Vote Nevada is now qualified to receive donations through Smith’s Inspiring Donations, you can read more about how to donate to Vote Nevada each time you use your Smith’s loyalty card here:  https://www.smithsfoodanddrug.com/i/community/smiths-inspiring-donations

Vote Nevada is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit civic engagement organization.  Anyone can become a supporter by emailing info@vote-nevada.org, we have no membership dues. You can now donate to Vote Nevada through PayPal at https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=L423L7FBMMBEA

Vote Nevada Supporters,

Reminder: Let’s celebrate Shirley Chisholm on Saturday, January 13^th, from 9 to 10 a.m., via Zoom.  Shirley Chisholm was the first African American woman elected to Congress and the first woman to run for president under one of the two political parties. Her autobiography is titled Unbought and Unbossed, join us on the 13th to discuss why she picked that title. You can RSVP here: https://vote-nevada.news/Lets-Chat-Shirley-Chisholm

Thanks to everyone who logged into the Interim Strategic Planning Session.  We discussed SB72, which is the 2023 bill that requires the interim education committee to study 6 things, and how our interests aligned with those 6 areas of study.  You can review the 6 items here under View Title and Digest:  https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/NELIS/REL/82nd2023/Bill/9651/Overview

We spent most of our time discussing the issue of bills that pass but are not implemented with fidelity, which is a growing problem.  Our discussion included what we can do to ensure bills are implemented and those who are tasked with implementation are held accountable.  You can watch the meeting recording here: https://vote-nevada.news/InterimStrategy2024

We discussed a 2019 bill, AB329, which would have required agencies and offices to report progress on implementing laws to the Legislative Council Bureau during the interim.  It passed out of committee and on the floor of the Assembly, but then Senate Democrats refused to give it a hearing.  You can read the bill and see its hearings here: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/NELIS/REL/80th2019/Bill/6612/Overview

We also discussed a second 2019 bill, AB146, which would have created an Inspector General Office to handle independent investigations.  It had a $1.8 million fiscal note and failed to receive a hearing.  You can review that bill here: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/NELIS/REL/80th2019/Bill/6217/Overview

This was not the first attempt to create an Inspector General Office.  In 2017 there were two Inspector General bills. AB201 from Republican Assemblyman Edwards: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/NELIS/REL/79th2017/Bill/4993/Overview

And AB404 from Democrats Assemblywomen Miller, Benitez-Thompson, and Assemblyman McCurdy: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/NELIS/REL/79th2017/Bill/5482/Overview 

The question for us is: What can we do to ensure laws are implemented with fidelity?

One option we’ve had up to now is to run a solution to a problem as a ballot question, but we may no longer have the ability to run constitutional amendment ballot questions beyond very narrow policy questions.  In the 2022 Nevada Supreme Court ruling Ed. Freedom PAC v. Reid for the first time the Nevada Supreme Court ruled that this part of the Nevada Constitution, Article 19 Sec. 6, means that both statutory ballot initiatives and constitutional amendment initiatives require the sponsor to include a funding mechanism if the outcome will require new funding.  Previously, this section of the Nevada Constitution was interpreted to only apply to statutory initiatives and statutory amendments, not constitutional amendments.

This Article does not permit the proposal of any statute or statutory amendment which makes an appropriation or otherwise requires the expenditure of money, unless such statute or amendment also imposes a sufficient tax, not prohibited by the Constitution, or otherwise constitutionally provides for raising the necessary revenue.

 Under this interpretation, all it will take to remove the constitutional right to run a ballot initiative to amend the Nevada Constitution will be to go to court and claim that the amendment will require even $1 of new funding.   Under this new ruling, one tool of direct democracy is now in grave danger of being lost.

We elect judges in Nevada and so we will have an opportunity to speak about this issue with anyone running for a Nevada Supreme Court seat. I am also working on a panel discussion of tools to strengthen democracy, with ballot questions playing a prominent role, including a very special guest.

I am tracking the interim committees, and some have scheduled meetings, but there are no agendas posted just yet. I will let you know when the interim education committee schedules meetings and when agendas begin to appear.  You can see the interim meeting schedule here:  https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/InterimCommittee/REL/Interim2023/Meetings

Save the Date!  In the last election cycle, Vote Nevada co-sponsored very successful candidate forums for the Clark County School Board seats.  We invited the candidates to come to a library in their district to stand at a table with their campaign materials and answer questions from voters.  Voters could attend any time during the event, ask their questions, and then leave when satisfied.  And kids were always welcome. 

So, we will be co-sponsoring similar events for all judicial candidates on February 10^th and all down-ballot races on March 30^th.  With this being a presidential election cycle, we must ensure voters have good information about local races.  The time is tentatively from 9 am to noon, while the location is the North Las Vegas Campus of the College of Southern Nevada.

We are also happy to announce we have partners in Carson City, Reno/Sparks, and Elko who will be running similar forums in those cities.

Finally, the presidential preference primary is fast approaching, here are resources to share: https://vote-nevada-blog.org/election-2024-information/

Thank you for being Nevadans with me,

Sondra

Vote Nevada is now qualified to receive donations through Smith’s Inspiring Donations, you can read more about how to donate to Vote Nevada each time you use your Smith’s loyalty card here:  https://www.smithsfoodanddrug.com/i/community/smiths-inspiring-donations

Vote Nevada is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit civic engagement organization.  Anyone can become a supporter by emailing info@vote-nevada.org, we have no membership dues. You can now donate to Vote Nevada through PayPal at https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=L423L7FBMMBEA

Vote Nevada Supporters,

As we slide into 2024, I wanted to share a timeline of election and interim legislative session events. 

Judicial candidates file for office between January 2^nd and January 12^th.  If you’re thinking, “Wait? What? We elect judges?” No worries, Vote Nevada’s “Why we elect judges” presentation will be posted on the Vote Nevada Blog by Tuesday. 

We are also putting together a coalition of nonpartisan organizations to host a “Meet the Judicial Candidates” forum in late February or early March.  This hybrid event will allow voters to learn more about our judicial branch of government as well as the best questions to ask judicial candidates. 

On January 6^th Vote Nevada is hosting our Interim Legislative Strategic Planning Session from 9 to 10 am, via Zoom.  Join us to plan our strategy for the interim legislative session.  You can RSVP here: https://vote-nevada.news/Interim-Strategic-Planning-2024

On January 13^th, 9 to 10 am, via Zoom, Vote Nevada is celebrating legend Shirley Chisholm, who was the first woman to run for president under one of the major parties and served for many years in Congress.  Her autobiography is titled Unbought and Unbossed.  Let’s chat about that title and head into 2024 with Shirley Chisholm energy! RSVP here: https://vote-nevada.news/Lets-Chat-Shirley-Chisholm

The Presidential Preference Primary is coming up soon.  Mail-in ballots will be sent to voters registered as Democrats and Republicans before the beginning of early voting on January 27^th.  Voters who use their mail-in ballots can drop ballots in the mail or in a secure box at any in-person voting site. 

If you use your mail-in ballot, please be sure to sign the back of the envelop. 

Early in-person voting runs between January 27^th to February 2^nd. Voters can drop off their mail-in ballot or vote in-person on election day as well, which is February 6^th.

If you are not registered as a Democrat or a Republican, you will need to change your party registration to be able to vote.  You can do so here: https://registertovote.nv.gov/  You can change your registration up to election day.

If you are registered Republican, you can also participate in the Republican caucus on February 8^th.  The primary is managed by the state, while the caucus is managed by the Republican Party.  You can read the caucus rules here: https://nevadagop.org/2024-presidential-caucus/ 

The reason this primary is called a preference primary is because the results inform the parties who their members would like the party to endorse as their nominee.  In the case of the Democrats the winner of the primary will be the voters’ preference, but it will be the winner of the caucus who will be the Republican voters’ preference.

The Democrats will not have a separate caucus.

Here is a list of additional resources for the Presidential Preference Primary: https://vote-nevada-blog.org/election-2024-information/

I am doing a presentation about Nevada’s 2024 elections, including the Presidential Preference Primary, for the American Association of University Women of Nevada on Friday, January 12^th, at 1 pm, via Zoom.  You can RSVP for the event here: t.ly/YAioc

Looking forward to the June primary, which covers all other elected offices, Vote Nevada is putting together a coalition of nonpartisan organizations to host candidate forums for city council and county commission races.  These forums will cover what our city councils and county commissions do as well as introduce the candidates.  We are looking at April dates for these hybrid events, so, stay tuned!

Please stay safe this New Year’s weekend and thank you for being Nevadans with me.

Sondra

Vote Nevada: Solving Problems with Civics

Vote Nevada is now qualified to receive donations through Smith’s Inspiring Donations, you can read more about how to donate to Vote Nevada each time you use your Smith’s loyalty card here: https://www.smithsfoodanddrug.com/i/community/smiths-inspiring-donations

Vote Nevada is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit civic engagement organization.  Anyone can become a supporter by emailing info@vote-nevada.org, we have no membership dues.  We do, however, accept donations Here

Vote Nevada Supporters,

We had a wonderful discussion with University of Montana Professor Wade Davies about the role basketball played for Native American women in boarding schools. 

The boarding school experience was a tragic government-driven attempt to strip Native Americans of their culture, but the embrace of basketball by both Indigenous young men and women while at the boarding schools demonstrated their resilience and strong dedication to their culture and identity.

I am sure you will enjoy listening to Professor Davies’s presentation and answers to participants’ questions.  You can view the recording here: https://vote-nevada.news/Indigenous-Women-Basketball

If you would like to read the article I referenced during the Zoom recording, it is here: https://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/2020/04/15/how-native-americans-made-basketball-their-own/ideas/essay/

If you would like to purchase his book, you can do so here: https://www.amazon.com/Native-Hoops-American-Basketball-1895-1970/dp/0700629092

And if you would like to ask Professor Davies any questions, his contact information is here: https://www.umt.edu/history/people/?ID=676

Sondra 

Vote Nevada Supporters,

Thanks to everyone who attended the Advocacy During the Interim Zoom session.  You can find the Zoom recording, our PDF Guide to the Legislature’s Interim Session webpages, and a Google form for sharing issues you would like to work on during the interim session here: https://vote-nevada-blog.org/advocacy-during-the-interim/

Thanks for being Nevadans with me,

Sondra

Vote Nevada: Solving Problems with Civics

Vote Nevada is now qualified to receive donations through Smith’s Inspiring Donations, you can read more about how to donate to Vote Nevada each time you use your Smith’s loyalty card here: https://www.smithsfoodanddrug.com/i/community/smiths-inspiring-donations

Vote Nevada is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit civic engagement organization.  Anyone can become a supporter by emailing info@vote-nevada.org, we have no membership dues.  We do, however, accept donations Here

Vote Nevada Supporters,

I hope everyone is enjoying the Nevada Day weekend! (I voted against changing Nevada Day to the last Friday in October!!) 

We have two important upcoming events:

Saturday, November 4^th, from 9 to 10 am, via Zoom, Vote Nevada is offering an Advocacy During the Interim Training Session.  Join us to learn about how interim legislative committees work, how the Governor builds the state budget, and the bill creation process for the 2025 legislative session. A lot happens during the interim while most Nevadans are not engaged, we need to change that dynamic.  You can RSVP here: https://vote-nevada.news/Advocacy-During-Interim

Monday, November 13^th, from Noon to 1 pm, join Vote Nevada and the CSN Native American Alliance for a discussion with University of Montana Professor Wade Davies about how Native American girls used basketball to cope with the boarding school experience.  You can RSVP here: t.ly/ut8BD

Thanks to those of you who reached out to me about the questionable information circulating about ranked-choice voting, especially assertions that voters simply cannot understand the process.  To address this, I am creating an online simulation of Alaska’s 2022 election cycle, which used a process identical to Ballot Question 3, so voters can evaluate ranked choice voting for themselves.

And, to celebrate my and Nevada’s REAL birthdays on October 31^st, I’m doing a Facebook fundraiser to bring in a few dollars to keep Vote Nevada running for 2024.  If you would like to participate, you can contribute here: https://www.facebook.com/donate/317621261002355/

Thank you for being Nevadans with me,

Sondra 

Vote Nevada Supporters,

The topic of today’s Vote Nevada meeting was Assembly Bill 400. The bill allocates $140 million dollars in grants to address early childhood literacy.  We reviewed the bill’s language as well as information about the grant process on the Department of Education website. We concluded by discussing concerns about possible outcomes.

The three entities that can apply for an AB 400 grant are school districts, sponsors of charter schools, and education-related nonprofit organizations.  So, our discussion focused on whether every school will have an equitable opportunity to receive help from one of the grants.  And if some schools are excluded, how many Title One schools could be excluded?  Are parents and students at the mercy of school administrators who may not file to receive part of a grant?

You can view the meeting recording here: https://vote-nevada.news/Recording-Review-AB400

You can read AB 400 here: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/NELIS/REL/82nd2023/Bill/10344/Text

You can review the grant process here: t.ly/z_1ux

I am reaching out to the State Superintendent to ask for some clarifications regarding the distribution of the bill’s funds.  When I have more information, I will share it with you all. 

We have three more upcoming events, so, please attend if you can.

Tuesday, October 24, 6 to 7 p.m., via Zoom.  Join Vote Nevada as we welcome Scott Youngs from the UNR Assistive Technology Resource Center.  We will discuss how assistive technology can bridge the gap between an exclusionary society and an inclusive society that removes barriers for disabled Nevadans. RSVP here: https://vote-nevada.news/Bridging-Disability-Gap

Saturday, November 4, from 9 to 10 a.m., via Zoom.  Join us for our Advocacy During the Interim Training to review what happens during the interim legislative session and how to advocate for future legislation.  You can RSVP here: https://vote-nevada.news/Advocacy-During-Interim

Monday, November 13, from Noon to 1:00 p.m., via Zoom, the CSN Native American Alliance is offering a Lunch and Learn session with Professor Wade Davies about the connection between women’s basketball and indigenous culture. You can RSVP here: t.ly/jGHQC

Looking forward to seeing everyone, thanks for being Nevadans with me,

Sondra Cosgrove

Vote Nevada: Solving Problems with Civics

Vote Nevada is now qualified to receive donations through Smith’s Inspiring Donations, you can read more about how to donate to Vote Nevada each time you use your Smith’s loyalty card here: https://www.smithsfoodanddrug.com/i/community/smiths-inspiring-donations

Vote Nevada is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit civic engagement organization.  Anyone can become a supporter by emailing info@vote-nevada.org, we have no membership dues.  We do, however, accept donations Here

Vote Nevada Supporters,

Upcoming events:

Tuesday, October 17, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at the East Las Vegas Library.  Come hear the City of Las Vegas Mayor Candidates answer questions ranging from economic development to solutions for homelessness, and the role of our cities in managing education.  The public is welcome.  The address is 2851 East Bonanza Road, LV, NV 89101. No RSVP is required.

Saturday, October 21, from 9 to 10 a.m., via Zoom.  Join Vote Nevada to review Assembly Bill 400, which provides additional support for early childhood literacy education. You can RSVP here: https://vote-nevada.news/Review-AB400  

Tuesday, October 24, 6 to 7 p.m., via Zoom.  Join Vote Nevada as we welcome Scott Youngs from the UNR Assistive Technology Resource Center.  We will discuss how assistive technology can bridge the gap between an exclusionary society and an inclusive society that removes barriers for disabled Nevadans. RSVP here: https://vote-nevada.news/Bridging-Disability-Gap

Saturday, November 4, from 9 to 10 a.m., via Zoom.  Join us for our Advocacy During the Interim Training to review what happens during the interim legislative session and how to advocate for future legislation.  You can RSVP here: https://vote-nevada.news/Advocacy-During-Interim

Monday, November 13, from Noon to 1:00 p.m., via Zoom, the CSN Native American Alliance is offering a Lunch and Learn session with Professor Wade Davies about the connection between women’s basketball and indigenous culture. You can RSVP here: t.ly/jGHQC

Looking forward to seeing everyone, thanks for being Nevadans with me,

Sondra Cosgrove

Vote Nevada: Solving Problems with Civics

Vote Nevada is now qualified to receive donations through Smith’s Inspiring Donations, you can read more about how to donate to Vote Nevada each time you use your Smith’s loyalty card here: https://www.smithsfoodanddrug.com/i/community/smiths-inspiring-donations

Vote Nevada is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit civic engagement organization.  Anyone can become a supporter by emailing info@vote-nevada.org, we have no membership dues.  We do, however, accept donations Here