Registration Closes For The Primary - Major Parties Lose Voter Share; Non-Partisan Gains

Voter registration closed for the primary election on May 24, 2016 and the numbers are not good news for either major party. Nearly across all demographics, both the Democratic and Republican Parties lost voter share while Non-Partisan and minor parties gained. And while all groups increased voters, the rate of growth for Non-Partisan and minor parties also exceeded that of the major political parties.

Another surprising statistic is where the growth in minor party registration occurred. In addition to the Independent American Party (IAP) and the Libertarian Party (Lib), there are eight political parties that have members but do not qualify for ballot access. The IAP is by far the largest of the minor parties with over 57,000 registered voters. However, the growth in the Libertarian Party and the eight small parties out-distanced the IAP with the small parties exceeding 10 percent growth in three of the six demographics followed.

State-Wide

Party	Change in # Voters	% Change	% Voter Share	Difference in Voter Share %
D	6,318	1.23	39.99	-0.09
R	4,857	1.09	34.89	-0.13
NP	5,609	2.32	19.09	0.16
Other	1,814	2.38	6.03	0.05
Total not D or R			25.12	0.21

Other includes IAP, Lib, and 8 parties without ballot access.

IAP +0.9%; Lib +2.52%; other 8 parties +10.52%

Clark County

Party	Change in # Voters	% Change	% Voter Share	Difference in Voter Share %
D	5,606	1.46	43.68	-0.10
R	2,823	1.05	30.68	-0.20
NP	4,937	2.86	19.97	0.23
Other	1,548	3.17	5.67	0.08
Total not D or R			25.64	0.31

Other includes IAP, Lib, and 8 parties without ballot access.

IAP +0.97%; Lib +2.54%; other 8 parties +16.22%

 Washoe County

Party	Change in # Voters	% Change	% Voter Share	Difference in Voter Share %
D	556	0.63	36.53	-0.04
R	670	0.72	38.74	-0.01
NP	419	0.97	18.06	0.04
Other	144	0.09	6.67	0.01
Total not D or R			24.73	0.05

Other includes IAP, Lib, and 8 parties without ballot access.

IAP +0.9%; Lib +1.48%; other 8 parties +0.55%

Rural Counties

Party	Change in # Voters	% Change	% Voter Share	Difference in Voter Share %
D	156	0.38	25.15	-0.20
R	1,364	1.62	51.95	0.24
NP	253	0.98	15.87	0.47
Other	122	1.06	7.03	-0.01
Total not D or R			22.90	0.46

Other includes IAP, Lib, and 8 parties without ballot access.

IAP +0.63%; Lib +4.2%; other 8 parties +0.12%

18 – 34 Year Old

Party	Change in # Voters	% Change	% Voter Share	Difference in Voter Share %
D	2,750	2.14	37.19	-3.27
R	1,314	1.66	24.69	-0.23
NP	3,001	3.46	27.55	0.22
Other	943	4.08	7.39	0.10
Total not D or R			34.94	0.32

Other includes IAP, Lib, and 8 parties without ballot access.

IAP +1.38%; Lib +2.9%; other 8 parties +15.78%

55+

Party	Change in # Voters	% Change	% Voter Share	Difference in Voter Share %
D	1,374	0.62	40.36	-0.10
R	2,196	0.97	41.16	0.05
NP	893	1.20	13.51	0.05
Other	277	1.01	4.97	0
Total not D or R			18.48	0.05

Other includes IAP, Lib, and 8 parties without ballot access.

IAP +0.58%; Lib +1.31%; other 8 parties +4.78%

 In the legislature, both assembly and senate districts remain unchanged from February with 11 senate districts (52.38%) and 21 assembly districts (50%) having the number of voters registered as Non-Partisan or total not registered as either Democratic or Republican either exceeding or  within five percent of one of the major political parties. However, the trend is the same; unaffiliated voters are increasing voter share while the Democratic and Republican Party lose.

The fact that the trend of voters leaving the Democratic and Republican Party continues is not surprising. The fact it continues in spite of intense efforts to energize voters by both major parties immediately before the primary election should send a clear message that voters want the system to change.

The 2017 Nevada legislative session can address this problem by enacting the Nevada Election Modernization and Reform Act of 2017 (NEMRA – 2017)