Active Voters Shrink As Major Parties Continue to Lose Voter Share

The number of active voters in Nevada decreased in August due to routine clean-up of the voter rolls but that did not impact the continuing trend of both the Democratic and Republican Party losing voter share. What is also not changing is the fact Non-Partisan and “other” or minor political parties are growing at a faster rate than either major party.

With the 2016 general election two months away, voter registration efforts are in full swing. Given that the number of total voters, both active and inactive, increased by just under 16,000, these efforts are meeting with success. It is also clear these voters are turning away from the major political parties.  

State-Wide

Party	Change in # Voters	% Change	% Voter Share	Difference in Voter Share %
D	-6,409	-1.13	39.78	-0.10
R	-5,299	-1.14	34.42	-0.09
NP	-667	-0.25	19.61	0.13
Other	139	0.17	6.19	0.07
Total not D or R			25.80	0.20

Other includes IAP, Lib, and 5 parties without ballot access.

Change is # voters: IAP -1.55%; Lib +1.25%; other 8 parties +7.37%

Clark County

Party	Change in # Voters	% Change	% Voter Share	Difference in Voter Share %
D	-6,294	-1.55	43.53	0.00
R	-5,828	-2.07	30.10	-0.11
NP	-1,982	-1.04	20.52	0.10
Other	-231	-0.43	5.85	0.07
Total not D or R			26.37	0.17

Other includes IAP, Lib, and 5 parties without ballot access.

Change is # voters: IAP -2.56%; Lib +0.34%; other 8 parties +8.04%

 Washoe County

Party	Change in # Voters	% Change	% Voter Share	Difference in Voter Share %
D	-60	-0.07	36.29	-0.07
R	-501	-0.53	38.32	-0.24
NP	707	1.56	18.58	0.27
Other	119	0.71	6.81	0.04
Total not D or R			25.39	0.31

Other includes IAP, Lib, and 5 parties without ballot access.

Change is # voters: IAP -0.75%; Lib +1.80%; other 8 parties +5.96%

Rural Counties

Party	Change in # Voters	% Change	% Voter Share	Difference in Voter Share %
D	307	0.73	24.78	-0.14
R	1,030	1.17	51.91	-0.07
NP	608	2.25	16.18	0.15
Other	251	2.10	7.13	0.06
Total not D or R			23.31	0.21

Other includes IAP, Lib, and 5 parties without ballot access.

Change is # voters: IAP +1.50%; Lib +4.45%; other 8 parties +4.77%

18 – 34 Year Old

Party	Change in # Voters	% Change	% Voter Share	Difference in Voter Share %
D	-919	-0.66	40.05	0.15
R	-1,690	-2.01	24.04	-0.23
NP	-251	-0.26	28.24	0.23
Other	192	0.74	7.67	0.14
Total not D or R			35.91	0.37

Other includes IAP, Lib, and 5 parties without ballot access.

Change is # voters: IAP -2.25%; Lib +1.58%; other 8 parties +9.03%

55+

Party	Change in # Voters	% Change	% Voter Share	Difference in Voter Share %
D	-1,680	-0.73	40.23	-0.08
R	-1,285	-0.55	41.02	-0.00
NP	-87	-0.11	13.72	0.06
Other	-33	-0.12	5.03	0.02
Total not D or R			18.75	0.08

Other includes IAP, Lib, and 5 parties without ballot access.

Change is # voters: IAP -0.92%; Lib +0.56%; other 8 parties +6.00%

Major party loses also continue in congressional and legislative districts.

Congressional Districts

Party	# Districts Lose Voter Share	# Districts Gain Voter Share	# Districts No Change
Democratic	2	2	0
Republican	3	1	0
Non-Partisan	0	4	0
Other	1	3	0

In CD 1 the number of voters not affiliated with either major party exceeds those registered as Republican by 5.79%. The difference between GOP and Non-Partisan in CD1 is <0.25%. At the end of July, 2016 the difference was over 0.60%

State Senate Districts

Party	# Districts Lose Voter Share	# Districts Gain Voter Share	# Districts No Change
Democratic	13	7	1
Republican	20	1	0
Non-Partisan	3	18	0
Other	0	20	1

In 12 districts (57.14%) 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	24	17	1
Republican	39	2	1
Non-Partisan	8	34	0
Other	1	39	1

In 24 districts (57.14%) 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. This is an increase of 1 district over July, 2016

September, 2017 has been declared Voter Registration Month by the secretary of state. It will be interesting to see the changes at the end of the month. I expect the trend will continue providing legislators in the 2017 session of the Nevada legislature a choice. Legislators can leave the election process as is with fewer voters choosing our elected officials or they can change the process, recognizing the growing dissatisfaction among the electorate. The Nevada Election Modernization and Reform Act of 2017 (NEMRA – 2017), provides the mechanism for this needed change.