Nevadans’ voting habits may change, but participation is another story
OLD HABITS DIE HARD: Although Nevadans are participating in early voting more, this trend may not mean an increase in the voting turnout.
By Michael Chamberlain | WatchdogWire.com
More and more Nevadans are taking advantage of the state’s early voting period, but this trend may not mean an increase in the number of those voting.
Early voting in Nevada runs for two week s— from the Saturday 17 days before the election, to the Friday four days before Election Day, Nov. 4.
Each county’s early voting schedule may vary, however. Clark County, with nearly 70 percent of the state’s registered voters, has early voting locations throughout the early voting period.
With more than 1 million registered voters, Clark County has 88 early voting sites. Between 22 and 28 of these are open each day during the early voting period, including on Sundays.
Nevada’s second-largest county, Washoe, which includes Reno, has 21 early voting locations. These sites rotate, with between 13 and 20 open on any given day.
Some of Nevada’s rural counties are sparsely-populated. Esmeralda County, for instance, has just 556 registered voters, and Eureka County has just 940. It makes little sense to have multiple early voting sites in counties with so few people. The 15 counties other than Clark and Washoe together comprise just 12.4 percent of registered voters in the state.
