December Voter Registration – Interesting Numbers Hidden In Minor Changes

The Nevada Secretary of State’s office released voter registration statistics for December, 2014 on January 5, 2015.  While the overall comparison to the end of November shows the state lost only 1,828 active registered voters (0.15%). A closer look reveals some interesting developments. (Percentages are the difference between November and December 2014)

Younger voters, those 18 – 24 years old left the voting rolls in droves, -30,238 (25.6%) Of these voters

            12,239 left the Democratic Party (28.5%)

            7,045 left the Republican Party (26.1%)

            8,447 were registered as Non-Partisan (22.1%)

            2,507 left the minor parties (25.7%)

Older voters, those 65 and over replaced the younger voters, +32,849 (11.0%) Of these voters

            13,565 joined the Democratic Party (11.1%)

            12,221 joined the Republican Party (9.8%)

            5,180 registered as Non-Partisan (14.0%)

            1,883 joined one of the minor parties (13.1%)

The Republican Party lost 420 more voters than the Democratic Party; 1176 to 756 (0.28% to 0.15%)

Non-Partisan and registration in minor parties increased; 84 (0.04%) and 20 (0.03%) respectively

In Clark County all parties gained registered voters with registration as Non-Partisan and in minor parties leading the way

            Democratic Party - 963 (0.26%)

            Republican Party – 474 (0.18%)

            Non-Partisan – 975 (0.58%)

            Minor Parties – 292 (0.58%)

In Washoe County all parties lost registered voters evenly

            Democratic Party – 1706 (2.1%)

            Republican Party – 1717 (2.0%)

            Non-Partisan – 970 (2.3%)

            Minor Parties – 334 (2.0%)

Why did the younger voters depart? Were they part of the majority that did not bother to vote in November? The more important question is how do we get them to return and vote? Is the Nevada Election Modernization and Reform Act (NEMRA) part of the answer?