Tag Archives: elections

Vote Nevada PAC Submits Two New Ballot Questions

Vote Nevada PAC filed two new ballot questions today in response to the legal challenge to our independent redistricting commission initiative. Both ballot questions are now on the SOS website: https://www.nvsos.gov/sos/elections/2026-petitions

The Nevada Constitution grants every Nevadan the right to run and vote on ballot questions; failing to empower every Nevadan to exercise that right puts it in grave danger. Our constitutional amendment ballot question, therefore, reverses the latest interpretation of Section 6, thereby lessening that danger.

The first ballot question directly addresses the 2022 Nevada Supreme Court ruling that drastically re-interpreted Article 19, Section 6 of the Nevada Constitution, which is cited in the legal challenge. Until 2022, the legal interpretation of Section 6 matched the plain language interpretation: It only applied to statutory and statutory amendment ballot questions.

Here is Article 19, Section 6:

Sec. 6. Limitation on initiative making appropriation or requiring expenditure of money. 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.

In the 2022 Education Freedom PAC v. Reid ruling, our state Supreme Court decided that Section 6 also applied to constitutional amendment ballot questions. No one has ever used that interpretation, dating back to the addition of Section 6 to the Nevada Constitution in 1972.

Consequently, anyone can now challenge a constitutional amendment ballot question and claim, not prove, that the ballot question’s outcome will require an expenditure of public funding. And solely based on that claim, the court can require ballot question sponsors to put tax laws in the Nevada Constitution to pay for hypothetical expenditures.

It takes at least five years to amend the Nevada Constitution, so how exactly can someone accurately estimate the cost of something new and then craft a tax or tax increase that will withstand the constant fluctuations in our economy? It is impossible.

If this wasn’t bewildering enough, it has also become very apparent that the Reid ruling is not being applied uniformly to all constitutional amendment ballot questions. Two constitutional amendment ballot questions were on our 2024 ballot and will also appear on our 2026 ballot, which will likely require an expenditure of state funds for at least administrative costs.

Yet, neither Ballot Question 6 nor Ballot Question 7 includes revenue-generating taxes. What is the difference between our ballot question and these questions? The only difference is that no one sued to force these ballot question sponsors to add a taxing mechanism to their constitutional amendment ballot questions.

The Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution gives every American the right to equal protection under the law. This is clearly not happening in Nevada with the new requirement to include taxing mechanisms in constitutional amendment ballot questions. Instead, Nevadans are being subjected to different standards and treatment by the state, depending on the actions of the political parties and special interest groups.

If the political parties and special interest groups like your ballot question, the state gives you a free pass to avoid unfunded mandate requirements. But if the political parties or special interest groups dislike your ballot question, then your initiative is pulled into court to trigger the state to enforce the taxation requirement.

Furthermore, upon reviewing all the information about ballot questions on the Nevada Secretary of State’s website, there is not a single mention of Article 19, Section 6, nor is there any reference to the Reid ruling requirements. How is the average Nevadan supposed to know about the new revenue-generating taxation requirement to ensure they put taxes into our state constitution when running a ballot question?

We clearly now have a two-tiered system for direct democracy in our state. One tier for Nevadans who can hire attorneys to manage their ballot initiatives, and one for Nevadans who represent themselves and so cannot afford to hold government and powerful people accountable.

Our second ballot question is also a constitutional amendment. We must ensure that every Nevadan is treated equitably and fairly in the redistricting process. Nonpartisan voters must be entitled to the same rights and protections as all voters, regardless of their political affiliation. The political parties should have no power to silence any Nevadan through rigged redistricting maps.

The second ballot question, therefore, adds this language to our existing Voter Bill of Rights:

(All eligible voters have a right:) To have equal rights and treatment in all aspects of representative government without regard to political party affiliation, including, but not limited to, processes that determine representation through apportionment and redistricting.

Vote Nevada Ballot Questions Information

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Vote Nevada Supporters,

I want to share background information on the two ballot questions we filed today with the Secretary of State’s office. Below you will find a link to the Secretary of State’s Ballot Petitions website as well as the very detailed press release, which we put out for the news media. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Sec. of State Ballot Petitions: https://www.nvsos.gov/sos/elections/2026-petitions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Refer to the link at the end for background information and essential details.

On September 9, 2025, Vote Nevada PAC exercised our state constitutional right to amend Nevada’s constitution through the ballot question process. This right is under threat and must be protected and preserved.

We refiled the independent redistricting commission ballot question as it was filed in 2020, 2022, and 2024.

Nevada’s redistricting process is plainly corrupt and must be put into alignment with Nevada’s transparency and accountability laws.

We are not proposing a nonpartisan redistricting commission; instead, we support a balanced commission with Democrats, Republicans, and non-major-party Nevadans. Currently, while nonpartisan and third-party voters comprise just under 43% of registered voters, nonpartisan and third-party elected representatives comprise 0% of our legislature.

The proposed commission, therefore, aligns with the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of representative government and provides a seat at the table for all Nevadans.

Our redistricting commission will be independent of our legislative redistricting process. This is key to our proposal. Currently, our legislature exempts itself from Nevada’s Open Meeting Law and Public Records Act, which means it exempts itself from transparency and accountability.

Consequently, legislators draw the people’s redistricting maps behind closed doors, blocking the public’s right to know who is enabling Nevada’s politicians to pick their voters. This is an indefensible, corrupt process that must change.

If our legislators were interested in addressing this corruption, the legislative majority could have heard and passed AJR5 in the 2025 legislative session, yet the bill failed to receive even a hearing. Assemblywoman Kasama’s bill proposed amending the Nevada Constitution to put redistricting under our Open Meeting Law and Public Records Act.

Our ballot question also limits redistricting to the 180 days following the release of the Census, so there will be no mid-cycle redistricting. This obviously addresses the partisan nonsense in the news right now.

Our amendment transfers existing funding for redistricting from the legislative process to the independent redistricting commission, which is similar to Ballot Question 6 and Ballot Question 7 from 2024. Neither of those ballot questions includes a taxing mechanism despite expending state funds due to the presumption that current state funding can be used to implement those two amendments.

This proposed amendment also utilizes the exact wording of Senate Joint Resolution 6 from the 2025 Nevada legislative session. As a legislative resolution, it was written by the Legislative Counsel Bureau, which comprises attorneys who write legislation; therefore, our ballot question meets all current legislative legal qualifications.

To further strengthen the rights of voters, we will also fill a second, related ballot question.

Second Ballot Question: Reduce Barriers to Primary Voting

Currently, we have segregated primary elections where members of the two major private political organizations exclude non-party members from participating in their closed, taxpayer-funded primaries.

We must ensure every eligible voter can make their voice heard in every taxpayer-funded election. The two major private political parties do have a protected right of association, but they do not have a right to force taxpayers to pay for their internal nominating functions.

This problem is happening even though in 2020 Nevadans put a Voter Bill of Rights in our constitution, which states that all eligible voters have a right:

To equal access to the elections system without discrimination, including, without limitation, discrimination on the basis of race, age, disability, military service, employment or overseas residence.

https://www.nvsos.gov/sos/elections/voters/voters-bill-of-rights

To clarify this right, we are filing a second ballot question to add the right to equal participation in all taxpayer-funded elections regardless of political affiliation to our state constitution’s Voter Bill of Rights.

To fully participate in all publicly funded elections without limitation, including, but not limited to, any requirement to affiliate with any private organization, such as a political party.

Political parties can engage in privately funded nominating processes if they so desire. For example, in 2024, the Nevada Republican Party ran a private caucus in the presidential preference primary, and the national Democratic Party hosted a private Zoom meeting to select Kamala Harris.

In closing:

In 2024, both political parties advised voters not to support Ballot Question 3 because the BQ3 campaign had received outside funding. They did this knowing it is almost impossible to pass a ballot question without millions of dollars, which is why their preferred ballot questions (6 & 7) also received outside funding.

Vote Nevada is comprised of Nevadans with no outside funders; we simply need the opportunity to speak to our fellow Nevadans to try to pass necessary democracy reforms. If either of the political parties sues to stop us so they can maintain control of our democracy, the parties will win, and we will lose our right to fix what the parties have broken.

History of Redistricting Reform in Nevada

Thank you for being a Nevadan 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 Update 3/23/2025

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Vote Nevada Supporters,

We are now entering week 8 of the legislative session. The last day of the session is June 2^nd. Legislators must start closing budgets on April 1^st and per the Nevada Constitution the education budget must be funded first. Yet we are still unclear whether the federal government will fulfill its funding obligations to the states.

There is a standing court order requiring the Executive Branch to allocate funds passed by Congress and approved by the President, but we are still in a constitutional limbo.

Additionally, the continuing resolution just passed in the Senate will impact the larger federal budget process. If no federal funds or even reduced federal funds come to Nevada due to that resolution, our legislators and the Governor will be forced to make cuts to state programs.

In sum, representative government is failing at the national level as constitutional checks and balances are superseded by partisan politics. And that failure will have deep repercussions in the states.

It appears that the only current solution to changing what is happening federally is going to court, hoping, and waiting for the next election. But, even if the courts issue rulings directing the president to go back to Congress to ask for laws and funding allocations to be changed, it is possible the current Congress will affirm the President’s Executive Orders as law.

Similarly, if the President decides to just ignore the courts, it is unclear what will happen. Federal agency heads could be held in contempt of court, but the President is immune per the U.S. Supreme Court.

From a community perspective, the U.S. Constitution offers us no guide for what to do when the system of checks and balances breaks down. Electing new people in 2026 is one remedy being floated, but if we change the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives and the new majority demands the President stop doing something, but he ignores them, then what?

Do we wait until 2028 and hope our political system is responsive enough to elect people who will undertake a serious study of how to ensure checks and balances work? Right now, no one who is talking about the 2026 election or the 2028 election is mentioning constitutional changes that may need to happen.

The history behind the 14th and 25th Amendments are instructive.

We can’t assume that one party will control the government for forever and a day. We need some systemic fixes at the federal and possibly state level to make government work in ways that are legitimate and not subject to partisan influences.

Are the political parties even willing to adopt new processes that will make our government less susceptible to partisanship? Representative government is dependent on practices that ensure the people are being represented. The political parties, however, seem to have forgotten that they are not the people.

We have a similar problem at the state level. With each legislative session it is becoming more evident that our part-time partisan legislative system is not working. It’s not because legislators are part-time or because they only have 120 days to do the state’s business, it’s because the political parties have too much control over the inputs and outcomes.

When was the last time our elected officials spent time listening to community members to hear what we all want? It’s not happening during elections, instead, we are bombarded with campaign ads, mailers, and text messages that just attack the other side and beg for money. If you see a candidate, you’ll usually hear talking points. Once the election is over, legislators meet with their party leadership and interest groups, not constituents, to prepare for the session.

I live on the east side of Las Vegas. My legislators either had no contest in the primary or general election or are in between their first and second term, I seriously doubt either one knows what is most important for me.

During the session, how many weekend town halls are scheduled by legislators to let us know what happened that week?

Instead, we sit and watch while bills that address issues we are often unclear about move from one stage of the legislative process to the next. The Governor decides which bills to sign and which bills to veto. And then the next election cycle immediately begins with the parties attacking each other.

We have an interim legislative session where committees mirroring the legislature’s committee structure review issues predetermined by the parties and special interests. The public is not asked to weigh in on what we think or would like to see addressed in the next regular session.

It’s no wonder things always seem broken and unresponsive to community needs. Gerrymandering, closed primaries, and a growing number of uncontested races are all contributing to this problem. But these are symptoms of poor systems and processes that sideline the people.

At the federal level we need a solution to make checks and balances work and at the state level we need a system that can minimize partisanship in our state’s representative government.

Which brings me to this year’s Vote Nevada Summer of Civics 2025.

Once the legislative session ends, we will kick things off with our usual review of which bills were passed and signed by the Governor. This year we also have something new to debut, a Citizens Interim Committee experiment. Instead of only looking at issues, our interim committee will also look at systems and processes.

We often speak about different types of isms in American politics, but we rarely discuss our tradition of pragmatism. Pragmatism focuses on creating systems and processes that work. If we want certain outcomes, then what systems and processes can most effectively produce those outcomes?

So, our Citizens Interim Committee will use a pragmatic approach.

For instance, if we want a more responsive representative government, how do we ensure all community members are able to have their voices and concerns heard? Does voting and elections do this, or do we need to add something else?

Do we need a different process for developing our workforce? What do workers need to be successful and what system and/or process will lead to that success?

We are also reprising our workshops on running ballot questions and on how to run for nonpartisan offices as well as how to run as nonpartisan candidates in partisan races. I will send another email as we get closer to June 2nd detailing all the different ways to get involved.

Lastly, please join me and the CSN Women’s Alliance on March 28^th for our Shirley Chisholm Leadership Academy. This virtual event will feature a series of panels between 9 AM and 3 PM. A new panel will start at the top of each hour. Don’t worry if you can’t spend the day with us; we’ll record each panel so you can watch later.

RSVP: t.ly/bhm7v

See the panel schedule here: Leadership Academy Panels

Thanks 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 Update: 2/23/2025

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Vote Nevada Supporters,

We are heading into the fourth week of the legislative session and things are picking up, so, please be sure to check the scheduled meetings page for the bills to be heard this week. https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/Calendar/A/

The Vote Nevada Nonpartisan Caucus is meeting tonight at 6 pm. We are discussing the good governance bills and whether the legislation being proposed so far represents the needs of the people. You can RSVP here to join us: https://vote-nevada.news/VN-Nonpartisan-Caucus-Meetings

In representative democracy, the people vote for fellow community members to represent their interests when writing bills and voting on various issues. Our current system of government at most levels is supposed to represent community needs.

One weakness in this system, however, is that the two political parties have decided when a party member is elected, that the newly elected official should only represent the party’s interests and priorities. The minority who voted for someone else are left out and lose their right to representation. This causes frustration that can lead to extremism.

The other main weakness in this system, which seems to be growing worse with each election cycle, is the lack of direct communication between elected officials and the people they represent.

Due to uncompetitive races and campaigns that rely on ads, text messages, and mailers, many elected officials spend minimal time in their districts listening to broad swaths of their constituents. And, for our legislators, due to the lack of staff during the interim, most community members have few, if any, opportunities to speak to them officially.

This makes the legislative session the only time our legislators are “on the clock,” yet how often can you talk to legislators directly about what we want fixed?

Without town halls, true surveys, or other forms of authentic communication, we the people are often left out of our representative democracy.

We need governing processes that welcome more voices into the system. Showing up to speak in support or opposition of bills apparently isn’t possible for most voters, especially when opportunities to show up happen during the work day and can change from week to week.

So, tonight’s question is: Do we have bills that can make the government more representative of the people and our needs?

Please join us if you can, and 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 in…@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 Update 1/26/2025

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Vote Nevada Supporters,

We had a great meeting last night on executive orders and how to read and interpret executive order documents. Here is the meeting recording: https://vote-nevada.news/Executive-Orders-Explained

You can find additional resources on the executive orders at the bottom of this message.

The Vote Nevada Nonpartisan Caucus will be meeting every Sunday evening at 6 PM to review the bills scheduled for hearings that upcoming week. You can RSVP for these meetings here: https://vote-nevada.news/VN-Nonpartisan-Caucus-Meetings

Learn more about the Nonpartisan Caucus here: https://vote-nevada-blog.org/nonpartisan-caucus-resources/

The first big topics we are focusing on are affordable housing and homelessness. I will be reviewing housing and homelessness bills from the 2023 legislative session as well as proposals on the table for this legislative session via Zoom on Saturday, February 1^st, from 6 to 7 pm.

You can RSVP for this Affordable Housing and Homelessness Solutions meeting here: https://vote-nevada.news/Affordable-Housing-and-Homelessness-Solutions

To review the Vote Nevada Legislative Advocacy training, you can access the recording and PDF document here: https://vote-nevada-blog.org/2025-legislative-session-info/

The legislative budget subcommittee heard state agency budget reports last week, which were very eye-opening. You can watch the recordings here: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/Video/

There are more agency budget reports scheduled for the upcoming week. You can watch them here: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/Calendar/A/

Executive Order resources:

https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/RS/RS20846

https://www.federalregister.gov/presidential-documents/executive-orders

https://nevadacurrent.com/briefs/lombardo-says-exorbitant-amount-of-timemass-deportations-not-an-appropriate-policy/

https://www.8newsnow.com/investigators/las-vegas-police-do-not-enforce-immigration-violations-policy-says/

https://www.8newsnow.com/investigators/las-vegas-police-wont-partake-in-immigration-roundups-sheriff-says-thats-not-my-job/

https://www.scrippsnews.com/politics/immigration/whas-the-potential-dollar-cost-of-trumps-immigration-policies

https://time.com/7203665/trump-deportation-immigration-courts/

https://nshe.nevada.edu/system-administration/news/2025/01/nshe-stands-committed-to-supporting-its-diverse-campus-communities/

https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/clark-county-school-district-does-not-check-students-immigration-status/

https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/for-nevada-latinos-feelings-mixed-as-trump-enacts-his-immigration-plans

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 Update 1/22/2025

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Vote Nevada Supporters,

Reporting about the new President’s executive orders often lacks contextual information about what an executive order is and what can and cannot be done through an executive order. So, I am offering a Zoom meeting this Saturday, January 25^th, from 6 to 7 PM, via Zoom, to review the rules around executive orders, when and how an executive order can be challenged, and who must follow an executive order.

As an example, we will review the TikTok ban law and the executive action to pause the ban.

You can RSVP for Saturday’s meeting here: https://vote-nevada.news/Executive-Orders-Review

We will also briefly discuss the upcoming legislative session, which starts on February 3^rd, and our Nonpartisan Caucus. We are lazar focused on problems that need to be addressed, and solutions being offered to solve those problems. There are 266 bills written out of 985 bill draft requests, so we can start reviewing the 266 complete bills.

Bills are located here: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/NELIS/REL/83rd2025/Bills/List

The form to submit a bill for the Nonpartisan Caucus to discuss is located on the 2025 Legislative Information page on the Vote Nevada Blog: https://vote-nevada-blog.org/2025-legislative-session-info/

The legislative advocacy training materials are also on that Blog webpage.

Thank you for being Nevadans with me,

Sondra

Vote Nevada Update: 1/11/2025

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Vote Nevada Supporters,

We’ve had three great events over the past two weeks, so I want to provide some summary information.

Our first meeting was the kick-off of our Nonpartisan Caucus. Our main focus is identifying and solving problems. So, we will be reviewing bills to identify which problems are being addressed and the solutions being proposed. This way we can focus our energy on fixing issues during the session and plan to address what does not get fixed during the session during the interim instead.

We only have 120 days to address all the state’s needs every other year, so we don’t have time to waste worrying about which political party has an advantage.

If you are interested in joining us, please complete this short form so I can add your email address to our communication list: https://forms.gle/n8CZtd9vgiVuz3nB7

We will be using this form to create a list of bills and the problems legislators are addressing this session: https://forms.gle/629jLZ2YeugcMrvB8

Our second event was the legislative website training. I put the link to the meeting recording and a link to a PDF file with screenshots of the website advocacy tools here: https://vote-nevada.news/Leg-Advocacy-101-2025

Our third event was our partnership with Evelyn Pacheco and Nevada Women in Trades for the “Empowering Black Women Through Civic Engagement” panel discussion. It was a wonderful meeting with frank dialogue about community civics education, women’s leadership, and holding elected officials accountable.

Vote Nevada is a strong supporter of Nevada Women Trades, so we will be partnering on more events with Evelyn in 2025.

Thank you for being a Nevadan with me,

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 Update 12-31-2024

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Vote Nevada Supporters,

I hope you all had a restful holiday break and are looking forward to a New Year.

Here are some brief reminders, we have:

A Nonpartisan Caucus meeting this Saturday, January 4^th, at 9 to 10 AM via Zoom.

Legislative Advocacy Training on Friday, January 10^th, at 6 to 7:30 PM, via Zoom.

Empowering Black Women Through Civic Engagement on Saturday, January 11^th,from 10 AM to 1 PM, at the Historic Westside School.

On January 4^th, 9 to 10 AM, based on a nonpartisan approach, we’ll discuss legislative advocacy strategies that focus on issues, respectful dialogue, and achieving outcomes. A nonpartisan approach removes party politics from the equation, while including discussions based on the merits of bills. If you are interested in being civically engaged without all the exhausting drama, join us for a strategic conversation.

RSVP: t.ly/awiKb

On January 10^th, 6 to 7:30 PM, we will review the legislature’s online advocacy tools and then chat about best practices for supporting and opposing bills.

RSVP: t.ly/dxNG1

Join Evelyn Pacheco on January 11th, 10 AM to 1 PM, for a panel discussion about Empowering Black Women Through Civic Engagement at the Historic Westside School.

Happy New Year!

Thank you for being Nevadans with me,

Sondra

Vote Nevada Update 12/19/2024

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Vote Nevada supporters,

I want to share a brief update on the legislative session’s timeline and confirm Vote Nevada will offer Zoom training on using the legislature’s website and tips for effective legislative advocacy.

Additionally, we are offering a new engagement opportunity this legislative session. Every community member needs to be heard, so Vote Nevada is sponsoring a Nonpartisan Caucus with a good governance approach for evaluating bills and budgets. The Caucus will broadly focus on improving institutions, systems, and processes.

Everyone who values issue advocacy is welcome to participate.

Here’s the legislative timeline:

The Economic Forum reviewed Nevada’s revenue sources on December 3rd to project the funding available for the governor’s biennial budget. The Forum projected a 12% increase over the last budget. You can read more here: https://nevadacurrent.com/2024/12/03/nevada-economic-forum-makes-conservative-state-revenue-estimates-for-next-biennium/

The governor’s staff is building his budget to present to legislators when the session starts on February 3rd. On January 15^th, the Governor will present his priorities to us through his State of the State address.

You can watch the Economic Forum’s recorded hearing and review the Economic Forum’s documents here: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/InterimCommittee/REL/Interim2023/Committee/1973/Meetings

There are 971 Bill Draft Requests and 166 bills with complete language currently available through NELIS. Legislators submit bill draft requests as markers for future bills. You can review the BDRs and bills,

Here for BDRs https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/NELIS/REL/83rd2025/Bdrs/List

Here for Bills https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/NELIS/REL/83rd2025/Bills/List

The Interim Finance Committee meets during the week of January 27^th to hear state agency budget requests, and the regular session starts on February 3^rd.

You can track upcoming events and hearings on the Scheduled Meetings page of the legislature’s website: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/Calendar/A/

Vote Nevada is hosting and co-sponsoring the following events in January:

Saturday, January 4^th: Vote Nevada’s Nonpartisan Legislative Caucus Discussion

RSVP: t.ly/awiKb

Heading (1)

Saturday, January 10^th: Legislative Advocacy 101

RSVP: t.ly/dxNG1

Join Vote Nevada Legislative Advocacy 101

Saturday, January 11^th: Black Women and Civic Engagement

Together We Create Change (3)

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 Shirley Chisholm Democracy Project 2025

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Vote Nevada Supporters,

We had a very productive meeting to discuss our Shirley Chisholm Democracy Project. You can watch the recording here: https://vote-nevada.news/Vote-Nevada-Democracy-Project

Our main democracy priorities for 2025 are:

Outreach to young voters who did not vote to listen to their concerns with our election system.
Develop a public civics education program.
Create nonpartisan spaces where the public can speak with candidates and elected officials.
Advocate for the 2025 legislature to pass an open primaries bill.

Young voters were the largest group to not vote in 2024. We need to know why, not make assumptions, and do what we can to listen to and address their concerns.

We must combine automatic voter registration with a companion public civics education program. Adults who move to Nevada and young people in Nevada need reliable and nonpartisan sources of basic civics information, and the ability to have civics questions answered.

Instead of hosting candidate forums right before elections, we need regular opportunities for community members to speak with elected officials and candidates. This initiative will be part of the public civics education program.

Lastly, our electorate is developing beyond purely partisan groups, so our election system must account for this new reality. Over 663,000 voters voted for Ballot Question 3, and many more said they would vote for an open primary ballot question. Why spend millions of dollars and wait until 2028 to vote on an open primary ballot question when legislative leadership can submit an open primary bill for the 2025 legislative session?

In fact, we already have an open primary bill on the NV legislative website. SB121 from the 2021 legislative session is an open primary bill that can easily be resubmitted as a bill in the 2025 session.

If you agree, please ask your legislative representatives to support passing SB121 from the 2021 legislative session in our upcoming session. Find your legislators through this tool. Type in your address, and the tool will tell you who represents you and the contact information of those legislators. https://www.leg.state.nv.us/whosmylegislator/

Incumbent legislators and legislative leadership can still submit bills for the 2025 legislative session. The Speaker submitted AB528 in 2023 on the last weekend of the session, so we know this can happen.

Thank you for being Nevadans with me,

Sondra

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