Secretary of state predicts 60 percent voter turnout

Friday, Oct. 30, 1998 | 11:18 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- President Clinton's legal troubles and the mudslinging campaigns aren't going to hold down the voter turnout in Nevada on Tuesday, Secretary of State Dean Heller says.

Heller, chief election officer for the state, predicts 58-62 percent of the 897,865 registered voters will go to the polls. "The interest is high in many of the races -- U.S. Senate, governor and the congressional race in Southern Nevada."

He said that's average in an off-presidential year. In presidential elections, the turnout is in the 80 percent range.

"There's a lot of cry that people will not participate because of the Clinton scandal and the negative advertising," Heller said. "I believe this will be offset because there are good candidates in many of the races."

Early voting and absentee voting have been high so far. In some counties, absentee voting is three times above normal, he said.

Both Democrats and Republicans have been working hard to get voters to the polls, considering the closeness of a number of races in which the turnout could be the key.

What's sad about this picture, says Heller is that only about half of those eligible to vote have registered. If the turnout is 60 percent, that means 15 percent of the total adult population will have the controlling voice.

Final registration figures released by Heller's office Thursday shows Republicans outnumber Democrats by 3,250 -- 375,469-372,219 with 125,087 signed up as nonpartisan. Twelve of the 17 counties have a GOP majority.

At the 1996 general election, Democrats trailed by 4,229 votes but have narrowed the gap by about 1,000 voters in two years. Nye County, a long-time Democratic stronghold, flipped to Republican in September, but now is back in the Democratic fold by a margin of six voters.

There are 16,520 Independent American voters; 4,819 Libertarians; 713 members of the Green Party; 627 signed up for the Natural Law Party and 315 for the Reform Party. There are 2,096 voters enrolled in other parties.

Clark County reports 250,758 Democrats, 217,986 Republicans, 78,653 non-partisan, 2,746 Libertarians, 291 Greens, 10,524 Independent Americans, 388 Natural Law, 212 Reform and 999 others.

In Congressional District 1 that encompasses the core of Las Vegas and parts of Henderson and North Las Vegas, there are 178,951 Democrats to 137,326 Republicans. That gives Democrat Shelley Berkley an edge over former District Judge Don Chairez, a Republican, in the bid to succeed Rep. John Ensign.

It's just the opposite in Congressional District 2, which takes in all of Northern Nevada plus the rest of Clark County. Republicans have 238,143 voters and Democrats 193,268. Rep. Jim Gibson, R-Nev., seems assured of a second term since he does not have a Democratic opponent and is challenged only by splinter party candidates.

In Clark County's state Senate District 1, where Republican Jon Porter seeks a second term against Democrat Richard Lyles, the voter registration is 35,059 for the GOP and 27,748 for the Democrats. Democrats outnumber the GOP 29,329-19,680 in Clark Senate District 2, where Maggie Carlton, a Democrat, is pitted against Republican Tino Mendoza.

Sen. Bob Coffin, D-Las Vegas, should be favored against Republican Lou Toomin in Clark Senate District 3, where Democrats hold a 25,508-15,161 edge. Registration in Clark Senate District 7 favors Democrats 36,519-26,024. Democrat Terry Care goes against GOP Assemblyman Jack Close for the vacant seat.

Democrats hold a 33,675-27,097 voter edge in Senate District 8 in Clark County but no Democrat filed against incumbent Republican Mark James.