By Doug Goodman -Founder & Executive Director Nevadans for Election Reform
The Democratic Party experienced a large ballot box victory in November, yet as 2019 begins, the party continues to experience a decline in voter share. The voter registration data for January 2019 just released by the secretary of state shows the Democratic Party losing voter share across all demographics tracked. At the same time Non-Partisan and minor party registration increased share and the GOP was mixed. The same holds true for the rate of growth; the number of new voters registering in each category.
State-Wide
| Party | Change in # Voters | % Change | % Voter Share | Difference in Voter Share % |
| D | 2,374 | 0.39% | 38.35% | -0.04% |
| R | 2,283 | 0.43% | 33.39% | -0.02% |
| NP | 2,416 | 0.70% | 21.99% | 0.05% |
| IAP | 619 | 0.80% | 4.36% | 0.01% |
| LIB | 121 | 0.76% | 1.01% | 0.00% |
| Other | -52 | -0.37% | 0.89% | -0.01% |
| Total not D or R | 28.25% | 0.05 |
Other includes Green Party, Natural Law Party, and others
Clark County
| Party | Change in # Voters | % Change | % Voter Share | Difference in Voter Share % |
| D | 2,400 | 0.52% | 41.94% | -0.07% |
| R | 2,323 | 0.72% | 29.26% | 0.01% |
| NP | 2,261 | 0.89% | 22.89% | 0.05% |
| IAP | 589 | 1.16% | 4.11% | 0.02% |
| LIB | 105 | 1.03% | 0.92% | 0.00% |
| Other | -42 | -0.43% | 0.87% | -0.01% |
| Total not D or R | 28.80% | 0.06% |
Other includes Green Party, Natural Law Party, and others
Washoe County
| Party | Change in # Voters | % Change | % Voter Share | Difference in Voter Share % |
| D | 38 | 0.04% | 35.10% | -0.02% |
| R | 45 | 0.04% | 36.87% | -0.02% |
| NP | 140 | 0.24% | 21.13% | 0.03% |
| IAP | 47 | 0.34% | 4.43% | 0.01% |
| LIB | 15 | 0.44% | 1.27% | 0.00% |
| Other | -9 | -0.27% | 1.20% | 0.00% |
| Total not D or R | 28.04% | 0.04% |
Other includes Green Party, Natural Law Party, and others
Rural Counties
| Party | Change in # Voters | % Change | % Voter Share | Difference in Voter Share % |
| D | -64 | -0.14% | 22.78% | -0.01% |
| R | -85 | -0.08% | 51.71% | 0.00% |
| NP | 15 | 0.04% | 18.15% | 0.02% |
| IAP | -17 | -0.15% | 5.68% | 0.00% |
| LIB | 1 | 0.04% | 1.13% | 0.00% |
| Other | -1 | -0.09% | 0.55% | 0.00% |
| Total not D or R | 25.51% | 0.02% |
Other includes Green Party, Natural Law Party, and others
18 – 34 Year Old
| Party | Change in # Voters | % Change | % Voter Share | Difference in Voter Share % |
| D | 1,802 | 1.08% | 38.67% | -0.03% |
| R | 1,266 | 1.29% | 22.78% | 0.03% |
| NP | 1,549 | 1.16% | 30.96% | 0.00%* |
| IAP | 390 | 1.56%* | 4.53% | 0.02%* |
| LIB | 106 | 1.43% | 1.73% | 0.00% |
| Other | -19 | -0.32% | 1.34% | -0.02% |
| Total not D or R | 38.55% | 0.00% |
Other includes Green Party, Natural Law Party, and others
- Given this demographic, were these voters believing they were registering as “independent”; should have registered as Non-Partisan?
55+
| Party | Change in # Voters | % Change | % Voter Share | Difference in Voter Share % |
| D | 489 | 0.19% | 38.67% | -0.05% |
| R | 860 | 0.32% | 41.27% | 0.00% |
| NP | 587 | 0.60% | 14.97% | 0.04% |
| IAP | 215 | 0.72% | 4.12% | 0.02% |
| LIB | 19 | 0.66% | 0.44% | 0.00% |
| Other | 2 | 0.06% | 0.53% | 0.00% |
| Total not D or R | 20.06% | 0.06% |
Other includes Green Party, Natural Law Party, and others
By district voter share changes.
Congressional Districts
| Party | # Districts Lose Voter Share | # Districts Gain Voter Share | # Districts No Change |
| Democratic | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Non-Partisan | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| IAP | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| LIB | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Other | 3 | 0 | 1 |
CD 1, CD 2, and CD 4 (75 percent of the districts) continue to show 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 | 18 | 0 | 3 |
| Republican | 9 | 9 | 3 |
| Non-Partisan | 1 | 19 | 1 |
| IAP | 2 | 15 | 4 |
| LIB | 1 | 8 | 12 |
| Other | 1 | 19 | 1 |
In 16 districts (76.19%) 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.
State Assembly Districts
| Party | # Districts Lose Voter Share | # Districts Gain Voter Share | # Districts No Change |
| Democratic | 37 | 3 | 2 |
| Republican | 22 | 18 | 2 |
| Non-Partisan | 4 | 36 | 2 |
| IAP | 10 | 30 | 2 |
| LIB | 6 | 14 | 22 |
| Other | 22 | 1 | 19 |
In 34 districts (81%) 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.
Nearly 30 percent of voters in Nevada are currently not registered to vote in either the Democratic or Republican Party; just under 40 percent for those between the ages of 18 and 34.
During the November election, voters passed automatic voter registration. The necessary action to implement this process has begun. It is more than likely this process will dramatically increase the percent of voters registered as Non-Partisan, potentially making that category the largest segment of voters. A bill to allow same-day voter registration has been filed for consideration during this legislative session. If that passes, the impact on party and Non-Partisan voter share may or may not be significant. However, given the long-term trend the assumption must be it will follow along the same lines. The question then becomes are these voters systemically excluded or does Nevada ensure all voters have the opportunity to participate fully in the election process?
No, voters that are not D or R ate barred from full participation. No choice in who wins in primary & both major parties seem good at picking unacceptable people to many N/P voters. Can you pick lesser of two evils? Can you get national parties back on a decent moderate track? Can both major parties stop the decisive retoric? Can we get positive platforms not radical out of both major parties?
Judy,
Thank you for your comment. “Can you get national parties back on a decent moderate track? Can both major parties stop the decisive retoric? Can we get positive platforms not radical out of both major parties?” This is exactly why we need ranked choice voting. RCV has shown it forces the discussion of issues rather than attacks (something 94% of Nevada voters polled in November want to see happen), allows voters to vote their conscience not settle for the lesser of two evils, and requires parties to leave the fringe and concentrate on the larger segment of voters. As more states consider RCV bills, the parties are noticing. Tom Perez, DNC Chair came out in support of RCV in Memphis. We can and will make this happen in Nevada.
Doug