Parties go fishing for new voters

Erin Neff

Friday, May 31, 2002 | 9:35 a.m.

Nevada's major political parties are preparing for guerilla warfare in individual precincts to get residents registered to vote in this fall's election.

And with the GOP owning a slight edge of 7,000 voters statewide and a tightly drawn new congressional district, Election Day could be won this summer -- in the race to register.

"So often elections are won and lost because a party did not do its best to register voters," said Clark County Republican Chairman Steve Wark.

His organization "goes fishing where the fish are," asking every candidate and supporter to "make sure everyone on their Christmas card list is registered."

That benign registration drive belies the parties' more aggressive tactics. Precinct captains keep track of who is moving into their area and immediately pounce on newcomers.

Both Republicans and Democrats pace back and forth outside the elevators in the George Federal Building on Friday afternoons waiting for those who have just been granted citizenship to emerge.

That could make the difference in a number of races. Statewide, Republicans lead Democrats 356,450 to 349,160. In Clark County, Democrats have a 31,000 voter edge.

But in Nevada's new congressional district, the parties continue to be neck and neck. In April, Republicans led 123,995 to 122,530, up slightly from the 122,554 to 121,276 margin in March.

Both parties lost significant voters between January and February when Clark County purged the system of those who had not voted for two general elections.

Democrats lost more -- from 140,375 to 119,977 -- compared to the 139,837-to-121,299 result for the Republicans.

"We're going after folks that have been purged from the files," said Achim Bergmann, campaign manager for Democrat Dario Herrera's bid for the 3rd Congressional District.

Pam Egan, executive director of the Nevada Democratic Party, said Democrats always lose more voters to system purges.

"The reality is Democrats tend to represent more of the regular guy," Egan said. "Our voters are more likely to move with changes in the economy."

If someone moved and hasn't voted at their old precinct for two years, they will be denied a vote if they go there on Election Day.

Mike Slanker, a campaign consultant for Republican congressional candidate Jon Porter, described the push for voters in the 3rd District as "hand-to-hand combat."

Candidates are marching through the district with voter registration forms in hand.

"We have an obligation running in such a fast-growing community to register new residents," Slanker said. "In this community, if there's a campaign or party organization that isn't focusing on new residents, they should be sued for malpractice."

The state GOP sponsors a slick mail campaign for new homebuyers. On one, Sen. John Ensign encourages registration in the Republican Party. In another, Gov. Kenny Guinn reminds there is "no greater responsibility ... than exercising our right to vote."

State Republican Chairman Bob Seale said those mailers are "having some impact," although he did not readily have numbers of those the program is registering.

Republicans are also targeting the state's 117,000 non-partisan voters.

"We're going to try to point out that their values are the same values as ours and that a switch would allow them to vote in the primary," Seale said.

Egan admits the GOP is better financed for "fancy direct mail," but she said she remains hopeful Democrats can pick up voters by canvassing key areas of likely Democratic voters.

"The most effective way is going door-to-door in the neighborhood," Egan said.