The Nevada Election Modernization and Reform Act (NEMRA) aims to bring the open, non-partisan, blanket primary to Nevada. If enacted it would not be the first time this type of primary was used in the state.
Up until 1909, listing party affiliation was not required when registering to vote. In 1909, the legislature passed the Primary Election Act creating primary elections in the state , however, all candidates were listed on one ballot and voters were allowed to vote for any candidate regardless of party registration from 1910 – 1916.
In 1917, the act was amended to require separate ballots for each political party. The 1918 primary, the first primary held after the amended act took effect, ushered in the era of partisan primaries where voters were required to vote the ballot of the party in which they were registered. (Political History of Nevada – 2006 edition; page 130)
In its early days, the Nevada legislature saw the wisdom in open, non-partisan, blanket primaries. Now as the state celebrates the sesquicentennial of statehood, the legislature has the opportunity to return to this wisdom.