Voting Rights Advocates Propose Straight-Ticket Voting Bill in Nevada
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new bill proposed in the Nevada Legislature would create a new straight-ticket option on the state’s general election ballot. Senate Bill 292 would allow voters to select a party in partisan races and automatically vote for that party’s candidates down the entire ballot. If voters want to pick a candidate in each race separately, they could still do so.
Straight-ticket voting options are available in six other states and studies show that the option is disproportionately used by minority voters in large urban areas who choose to vote straight-ticket Democrat. Straight-ticket options, which can also reduce wait times, used to be more common, but after seizing control of state governments, Republicans have removed them in seven states since 2010.
The bill would also require the governor, in the case of a Senate vacancy, to appoint a new senator of the same party as who held the seat. S.B. 292 is currently being considered in the state Senate.