Early balloting expected to bring out most voters

Wednesday, March 19, 2003 | 9:47 a.m.

Election officials are not expecting a big turnout for the upcoming elections.

Municipal elections just aren't the draws that national elections are, and there are only a few local races on each individual ballot this time around.

If there is going to be much of a turnout, it will be during early voting, which begins today at North Las Vegas City Hall and Saturday at all early voting locations in North Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Henderson and Boulder City, Clark County Registrar of Voters Larry Lomax said.

Lomax predicts that, at best, 13 percent of active registered voters will cast ballots in the 2003 primary that ends with the April 8 election. The last primary ballot that was only municipal races, in 2001, drew a 13 percent turnout.

"Some cities might do better than others depending on the interest in races, but I don't see a better overall turnout than in 2001," Lomax said.

"Still, I'm absolutely convinced that, no matter what the turnout is for any election, early voting increases the overall turnout, although there is no way to verify that."

Critics of early voting say people are unprepared and vote on a whim when they vote at grocery stores and malls. Lomax disagrees.

"Most of the people I see when I visit those voting sites come with sample ballots in hand," he said. "They may have come to that location to do a specific number things. But voting is definitely one of them."

Early voting began in Southern Nevada in 1994 as a limited pilot program and was established countywide for the 1996 elections. It has become a barometer for Election Day turnout.

"About 44 percent of all people who are going to vote do so during early voting, another 44 percent on Election Day and 12 percent by mail," Lomax said. "It has been pretty consistent since 2000."

The early voting total hit a record high during the 2000 general election when 167,522 early ballots were cast. The Election Day turnout was 167,317.

In last year's general election, 136,763 people voted early compared with 148,486 on Election Day. The September primary elections had 58,037 people vote early and 59,829 show up on Election Day.

But because only about 60,000 of the 571,000-plus registered voters are expected to cast ballots in this primary, the numbers of machines and locations for early voting will be significantly fewer than last November.

Lomax said there will be about 30 machines available during the next two weeks compared to 200 last November; still, he expects no lines at any locations. Also, unlike last year's elections, voters cannot cast early ballots at any site. They must vote at sites within the city where they reside, he said.

Las Vegas sites are the city clerk's office, Meadows mall and a mobile site that changes daily. Henderson sites are the city clerk's office, the Galleria at Sunset mall and a mobile site. North Las Vegas also will utilize its city clerk's office, as well as the Silver Mesa Recreation Center and a mobile site.

Hours vary at locations. Another difference, Lomax said, is that while the mall sites remained open until 9 p.m. last November, they will close daily at 6 p.m. for this primary.

Residents of unincorporated Clark County cannot vote in this primary. County residents will be voting in the June 3 general runoff, but only on a Las Vegas Clark County Library District question, Lomax said.

A similar situation presented a dilemma in the 1999 municipal elections, when people called the Clark County Election Department to complain that they were not allowed to vote in the Las Vegas mayoral race.

"We had to explain that they could not vote on that race because they lived in the county, not the city," Lomax said.

Candidates are urging residents to vote now and not wait for the June 3 general election because if any candidates receive 50 percent plus one vote in the primary they automatically win the seat.

Because voters have until May 3 to register for the general election, Lomax said, early voting could encourage people to register.

"Those walking through malls will see the voting process and might decide to register at those sites, as people have done in past elections," Lomax said. "Early voting has proven to be good advertising for voting in general."