Filing rules change

Friday, April 30, 2004 | 9:23 a.m.

SUN CAPITAL BUREAU

CARSON CITY -- Filing to run for office will be a little different this year, according to the secretary of state's office.

Candidates now must present identification that also shows their address, and a new law allows certain convicted felons to file for political office.

The filing period begins Monday and ends May 14.

A new law requires candidates to submit identification upon filing, Ronda Moore, deputy secretary of state in charge of elections, said. The office will accept a driver's license, a government identification card, a utility bill that shows an address or some other documents that show an address.

A 2003 law also allows those who were discharged from parole or probation or released from prison before July 1, 2003, to run for political office four years after their discharge, she said. It does not matter what crime they were convicted of, Moore said.

In the past all felons had to their civil rights formally restored before they were eligible for elective office.

Those persons honorably discharged from parole or probation or released from prison after July 1, 2003, must wait four years after their discharge before they can run for election. But those convicted of a major felony or one involving violence must still get an order from a court to restore their civil rights.

For more information on filing, go to the Web site http://sos.state.nv.us/