By Doug Goodman -Founder & Executive Director Nevadans for Election Reform
With a month remaining before election day, Nevada’s active voter registration rolls grew by over 60,000 during September. According to the data released by the secretary of state’s office, it appears many of these new voters are shunning the major parties opting to register as Non-Partisan or Other. What does this indicate for the general election, turnout and winners?
Once again, the Democratic Party lost voter share in all Congressional and state legislative districts. While the GOP recorded mostly loses in those as well, the party did gain in a small number of districts. Perhaps a bright spot for the GOP, they recorded a small gain in voter share among those 18 to 34 years of age, however over 40 percent of this age group are not affiliated with either major party.
In the state senate, there is now only one district, SD 15, where the percentage of Non-Partisans or those not registered to either the Democratic or Republican Party does not exceed or is within 5 percent of either major party. At the same time, the difference in the district between Democratic and Republican registration is less than one percent.
Remember too, some voter who do not want to affiliate with any party sometimes register to vote in the Independent American Party (IAP) assuming it is a party for independent voters and others register as “other” without indicating a minor party other than the IAP or Libertarian Party.
State-Wide
| Party | Change in # Voters | % Change | % Voter Share | Difference in Voter Share % |
| D | 15,059 | 2.35% | 37.57% | -0.45% |
| R | 18,136 | 3.31% | 32.50% | -0.08% |
| NP | 19,041 | 4.88% | 23.48% | 0.29% |
| IAP | 3,347 | 4.52% | 4.44% | 0.04% |
| LIB | 683 | 4.17% | 0.98% | 0.01% |
| Other | 3,775 | 26.62% | 1.03% | 0.19% |
| Total not D or R | 29.93% | 0.53 |
Other includes Green Party, Natural Law Party, and others.
The large increase is due to a change in how voters who do not
indicate a minor party are counted. Prior to August they were counted
as Non-Partisan.
Clark County
| Party | Change in # Voters | % Change | % Voter Share | Difference in Voter Share % |
| D | 12,240 | 2.49% | 40.94% | -0.52% |
| R | 12,326 | 3.64% | 28.49% | -0.04% |
| NP | 14,094 | 4.93% | 24.36% | 0.27% |
| IAP | 2,522 | 5.06% | 4.25% | 0.05% |
| LIB | 458 | 4.37% | 0.89% | 0.01% |
| Other | 3,185 | 32.05% | 1.07% | 0.23% |
| Total not D or R | 30.57% | 0.56 |
Other includes Green Party, Natural Law Party, and others.
The large increase is due to a change in how voters who do not
indicate a minor party are counted. Prior to August they were counted
as Non-Partisan
Washoe County
| Party | Change in # Voters | % Change | % Voter Share | Difference in Voter Share % |
| D | 1,997 | 1.96% | 35.19% | -0.32% |
| R | 2,330 | 2.28% | 35.52% | -0.22% |
| NP | 3,027 | 4.81% | 22.37% | 0.41% |
| IAP | 475 | 3.71% | 4.50% | 0.04% |
| LIB | 129 | 3.62% | 1.25% | 0.01% |
| Other | 338 | 10.93% | 1.16% | 0.08% |
| Total not D or R | 29.29% | 0.54 |
Other includes Green Party, Natural Law Party, and others.
The large increase is due to a change in how voters who do not
indicate a minor party are counted. Prior to August they were counted
as Non-Partisan
Rural Counties
| Party | Change in # Voters | % Change | % Voter Share | Difference in Voter Share % |
| D | 822 | 1.79% | 21.67% | -0.32% |
| R | 3,480 | 3.25% | 51.17% | -0.03% |
| NP | 1,920 | 4.65% | 19.99% | 0.26% |
| IAP | 350 | 3.09% | 5.40% | -0.01% |
| LIB | 96 | 4.10% | 1.13% | 0.01% |
| Other | 252 | 21.89% | 0.65% | 0.10% |
| Total not D or R | 27.16% | 0.36 |
Other includes Green Party, Natural Law Party, and others.
The large increase is due to a change in how voters who do not
indicate a minor party are counted. Prior to August they were counted
as Non-Partisan
18 – 34 Year Old
| Party | Change in # Voters | % Change | % Voter Share | Difference in Voter Share % |
| D | 6,442 | 3.62% | 38.55% | -0.59% |
| R | 5,343 | 5.55% | 21.27% | 0.07% |
| NP | 8,615 | 5.88% | 32.43% | 0.21% |
| IAP | 1,344 | 6.42% | 4.66% | 0.05% |
| LIB | 444 | 5.97% | 1.65% | 0.01% |
| Other | 1,466 | 26.88% | 1.45% | 0.25% |
| Total not D or R | 40.18% | 0.52 |
Other includes Green Party, Natural Law Party, and others.
The large increase is due to a change in how voters who do not
indicate a minor party are counted. Prior to August they were counted
as Non-Partisan
55+
| Party | Change in # Voters | % Change | % Voter Share | Difference in Voter Share % |
| D | 4,485 | 1.67% | 37.93% | -0.25% |
| R | 6,275 | 2.18% | 40.93% | -0.06% |
| NP | 3,892 | 3.51% | 15.94% | 0.18% |
| IAP | 841 | 2.90% | 4.14% | 0.02% |
| LIB | 60 | 1.97% | 0.43% | 0.00% |
| Other | 855 | 23.37% | 0.63% | 0.11% |
| Total not D or R | 21.14% | 0.31 |
Other includes Green Party, Natural Law Party, and others.
The large increase is due to a change in how voters who do not
indicate a minor party are counted. Prior to August they were counted
as Non-Partisan
By district voter share changes.
Congressional Districts
| Party | # Districts Lose Voter Share | # Districts Gain Voter Share | # Districts No Change |
| Democratic | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Non-Partisan | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| IAP | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| LIB | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Other | 0 | 4 | 0 |
In all Congressional districts (100 percent of the districts) the number of voters not affiliated with either major party is greater than or within 5% of the number of voters registered to one of the major parties.
State Senate Districts
| Party | # Districts Lose Voter Share | # Districts Gain Voter Share | # Districts No Change |
| Democratic | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 14 | 6 | 1 |
| Non-Partisan | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| IAP | 2 | 19 | 0 |
| LIB | 4 | 10 | 7 |
| Other | 0 | 21 | 0 |
In 20 districts (95.24%) the number of voters registered as Non-Partisan or the total number not affiliated with either major party is greater than or within 5% of the number of voters registered to one of the major parties. This is a gain of one over August
State Assembly Districts
| Party | # Districts Lose Voter Share | # Districts Gain Voter Share | # Districts No Change |
| Democratic | 42 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 29 | 12 | 1 |
| Non-Partisan | 0 | 42 | 0 |
| IAP | 2 | 37 | 3 |
| LIB | 8 | 21 | 13 |
| Other | 0 | 42 | 0 |
In 38 districts (90.48%) the number of voters registered as Non-Partisan or the total number not affiliated with either major party is greater than or within 5% of the number of voters registered to one of the major parties. This is an increase of one district over August.
Unlike the primary election where party affiliation determines which candidates you can vote for, affiliation does not affect a voter’s choice in the general. However, it is the voters registered as Non-Partisan, IAP, Libertarian, or Other who will determine the outcome.