On Monday, March 23, 2015 a version of the Nevada Election
Modernization and Reform Act was formally introduced as a bill for the 2015
session of the Nevada Legislature.
SB 499, as it is now formally known, was introduced by the
Senate Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections. The version to be
considered, sadly, does not include the ranked choice / instant runoff voting component
because of concerns of conflict with Article 15, Sec 14 of the Nevada
Constitution which declares a plurality winner.
However, the bill does improve the chances for minor party
or independent candidates to advance to the general election. Under the top-two
format in SB 499, two candidates from the same party cannot advance. This
eliminates the possibility of two Democratic or two Republicans facing off in
the general election. Minor party and independent candidates are relevant and
viable candidates in the primary. Debate is not limited to two sides of the
same story.
The next step is a committee hearing. I’ll keep you posted.
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