By Doug Goodman -Founder & Executive Director Nevadans for Election Reform
With minor exception, both the Democratic and Republican Party lost voter share in 2019 while Non-Partisan and minor parties posted gains. While the over-all changes were small, the Republican Party lost significant share in Washoe County and among voters 18 to 34 years of age. At the same time those younger voters appeared to have drifted away from Non-Partisan, choosing to register with the Democratic Party. Conversely, voters over 55 left the Democratic Party with a good number of those voters registering as Non-Partisan. December showed a similar picture with the Republican Party losing share even in the rural counties and among older voters, those over the age of 55.
State-Wide
| Party | Change in # Voters | % Change | % Voter Share | Difference in Voter Share % | % Voter Share Change 2018 – 2019 |
| D | 4,356 | 0.73% | 38.29% | 0.01% | -0.10% |
| R | 2,836 | 0.54% | 33.25% | -0.05% | -0.16% |
| NP | 2,878 | 0.83% | 22.15% | 0.03% | 0.21% |
| IAP | 770 | 1.11% | 4.47% | 0.02% | 0.11% |
| LIB | 148 | 0.93% | 1.02% | 0.00% | 0.01% |
| Other | 19 | 0.15% | 0.82% | 0.00% | -0.08% |
| Total not D or R | 28.45% | 0.05 | 0.25 |
Other includes Green Party, Natural Law Party, and others
Clark County
| Party | Change in # Voters | % Change | % Voter Share | Difference in Voter Share % | % Voter Share Change 2018 – 2019 |
| D | 3,631 | 0.80% | 41.95% | 0.01% | -0.06% |
| R | 1,812 | 0.57% | 29.07% | -0.06% | -0.17% |
| NP | 2,178 | 0.87% | 23.03% | 0.02% | 0.18% |
| IAP | 585 | 1.28% | 4.23% | 0.02% | 0.14% |
| LIB | 99 | 0.99% | 0.93% | 0.00% | 0.01% |
| Other | 17 | 0.20% | 0.79% | 0.00% | -0.09% |
| Total not D or R | 28.98% | 0.04 | 0.24 |
Other includes Green Party, Natural Law Party, and others
Washoe County
| Party | Change in # Voters | % Change | % Voter Share | Difference in Voter Share % | % Voter Share Change 2018 – 2019 |
| D | 519 | 0.53% | 35.17% | 0.02% | 0.05% |
| R | 314 | 0.31% | 36.42% | -0.05% | -0.47% |
| NP | 330 | 0.55% | 21.48% | 0.02% | 0.38% |
| IAP | 90 | 0.71% | 4.52% | 0.01% | 0.09% |
| LIB | 23 | 0.64% | 1.29% | 0.00% | 0.03% |
| Other | 2 | 0.06% | 1.12% | 0.00% | -0.09% |
| Total not D or R | 28.41% | 0.03 | 0.41 |
Other includes Green Party, Natural Law Party, and others
Rural Counties
| Party | Change in # Voters | % Change | % Voter Share | Difference in Voter Share % | % Voter Share Change 2018 – 2019 |
| D | 206 | 0.46% | 22.56% | -0.06% | -0.24% |
| R | 710 | 0.69% | 51.81% | -0.01% | 0.10% |
| NP | 370 | 1.03% | 18.30% | 0.06% | 0.17% |
| IAP | 95 | 0.85% | 5.67% | 0.01% | -0.01% |
| LIB | 26 | 1.16% | 1.14% | 0.01% | 0.01% |
| Other | 0 | 0.00% | 0.53% | 0.00% | -0.02% |
| Total not D or R | 25.64% | 0.08 | 0.15 |
Other includes Green Party, Natural Law Party, and others
18 – 34 Year Old
| Party | Change in # Voters | % Change | % Voter Share | Difference in Voter Share % | % Voter Share Change 2018 – 2019 |
| D | 1,461 | 0.90% | 39.16% | 0.06% | 0.46% |
| R | 455 | 0.49% | 22.15% | -0.06% | -0.60% |
| NP | 898 | 0.70% | 31.11% | -0.02% | 0.15% |
| IAP | 252 | 1.31% | 4.66% | 0.03% | 0.15% |
| LIB | 73 | 1.01% | 1.74% | 0.00% | 0.01% |
| Other | -27 | -0.54% | 1.19% | -0.02% | -0.17% |
| Total not D or R | 38.69% | -0.01 |
Other includes Green Party, Natural Law Party, and other
55+
| Party | Change in # Voters | % Change | % Voter Share | Difference in Voter Share % | % Voter Share Change 2018 – 2019 |
| D | 1,655 | 0.65% | 38.37% | -0.02% | -0.35% |
| R | 1,803 | 0.66% | 41.33% | -0.02% | 0.05% |
| NP | 850 | 0.85% | 15.15% | 0.02% | 0.22% |
| IAP | 267 | 0.96% | 4.19% | 0.01% | 0.09% |
| LIB | 30 | 0.98% | 0.46% | 0.00% | 0.02% |
| Other | 8 | 0.24% | 0.50% | 0.00% | -0.02% |
| Total not D or R | 20.30% | 0.03 | 0.30 |
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 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Republican | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Non-Partisan | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| IAP | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| LIB | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 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 | 10 | 11 | 0 |
| Republican | 20 | 0 | 1 |
| Non-Partisan | 5 | 16 | 0 |
| IAP | 1 | 16 | 4 |
| LIB | 1 | 7 | 13 |
| Other | 11 | 0 | 10 |
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 | 21 | 17 | 4 |
| Republican | 33 | 4 | 5 |
| Non-Partisan | 12 | 29 | 1 |
| IAP | 5 | 28 | 9 |
| LIB | 5 | 14 | 23 |
| Other | 21 | 5 | 16 |
In 35 districts (83%) 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.
Just how voter registration trends will change in the months leading up to the general election is anyone’s guess. However, recent voter share loses in the GOP do not bode well for that party should they continue. Could same-day voter registration impact this? I believe that is up to the campaigns and the parties.