It’s voting time
Nevada’s 2022 primary election day is just more than two weeks away, but voting has begun. Early voting started Saturday, and mail ballots were sent May 25 to every Nevada active registered voter.
Now the hard part begins: Figuring out for whom you should vote.
Let’s see if we can make it easier.
First, if you’re an active registered voter, you should have received a sample ballot in the mail. This will be your guide to the races you’re able to vote in for the June 14 primary. “Do your homework. Make sure you’re ready to vote,” Registrar of Voters Joe Gloria says. “That’s why we send you the sample ballot.”
Second, the Review-Journal and the Boulder City Review have done plenty of research already. Nearly every reporter in our newsrooms were deployed to interview nearly every candidate on the primary ballot. Those stories have been collected for you in a single place on our websites. Just use the search function to find any race on your sample ballot.
The Review-Journal and Boulder City Review have also invited all of the candidates on the primary ballot to submit their own information to us, including their experience, previous offices held, work experience and a photograph. You can look up the candidates who responded by the office they’re seeking or see the entire ballot in a single place.
And there’s even more information out there. Clark County has an excellent website at which you can see every candidate who filed in every race. Keep in mind that Nevada, for now, is a closed primary state, which means only registered Republicans can vote for Republican candidates, and only Democrats can vote for Democrats.
The secretary of state not only has a list of candidates who filed for statewide office and for offices that spread across more than one county, but also a list of frequently asked questions.
Curious about who’s donating to the people on your TV? You can find out about any donation made to state or local candidates on the secretary of state’s website. You can learn about donations made to federal candidates on the website of the Federal Elections Commission. The good folks over at Open Secrets have done an excellent job compiling campaign finance data, too.
Candidates aren’t shy about putting ads up on TV, and most of what they post on their websites paints them in the best light. But their sites also usually contain their positions on major issues or their plans if elected. (Be sure to take them with a grain of salt; most candidates promise to do things that require cooperation from other lawmakers, or even other branches of government, but nuance does not make for good political advertising.)
There are also groups that do endorsements, everybody from the Vegas Chamber to labor unions to groups dedicated to the environment, low taxes, political or social causes. If you find you line up with a particular group’s outlook, their endorsements are a good guide to candidates you might like.
The point is, as Gloria says, do your homework. It’s not enough for every eligible voter to register, turn out and cast a ballot. The Legislature has done its part, making it as easy and convenient as possible to vote.
But we should all cast informed votes, choosing the best representatives according to our view of how government and the state should run. The information to do that is out there, and some talented people have worked hard to get it for you.
Now comes the hard part, the part that’s up to you.
Contact Steve Sebelius at SSebelius@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0253. Follow @SteveSebelius on Twitter.
