Electors make voting official

Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2004 | 8:53 a.m.

SUN CAPITAL BUREAU

CARSON CITY -- Nevada's five Republican electors cast their votes for President Bush Monday and are looking ahead to the 2006 election when there will be a major turnover in state offices.

The five gathered in the office of Secretary of State Dean Heller to officially vote for Bush, who won Nevada. The results from Nevada and the other states will be forwarded to the president of the U.S. Senate, Vice President Dick Cheney.

Paul Willis, one of the electors from Pahrump, said, "We have no time to rest on our laurels." He said the GOP has a host of good candidates. He said he thought "(Rep.) Jim Gibbons and the secretary of state are ready for higher office," referring to the job of governor.

He said the candidates will "sort it out" which office they will vie for.

The GOP electors were Joe Brown and Milton Schwartz, both of Las Vegas, Beverly Willard of Douglas County, Willis and Assemblyman John Marvel of Battle Mountain.

Brown said it's "too early to tell" who will emerge and for what office. He said Gibbons is one possibility for governor. Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt is another potential. "It could be Dean Heller," said Brown, the national committeeman for the Republican Party from Nevada.

John Marvel "Jim Gibbons is the front runner" at the present time for governor.

Gibbons has not indicated whether or not he would give up his seat in the House to try for governor. He ran once before but was beaten by Gov. Bob Miller.

Democrats Dina Titus of Las Vegas, the Senate minority leader, and Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins of Henderson have already indicated they may seek the job in 2006.

Gov. Kenny Guinn, Heller, Hunt, Treasurer Brian Krolicki and Controller Kathy Augustine, all Republicans, cannot run for re-election because they have served a maximum of two terms in their office.

Willard focused on the Assembly. She said she wants to get back the three seats the GOP lost in the November election and gain another.

Democrats control the Assembly 26-16 in the 2005 Legislature.

The five Republican electors were chosen at the National Republican Convention in New York by the Nevada delegates. Nevada law requires them to vote for the presidential candidate who gains the most votes in Nevada. President Bush beat Sen. John Kerry 418,690 to 397,190.

Marvel praised Heller for his handling of the election, especially for the new electronic voting machines that had a paper trail, the first in the nation.

There have been a handful of suits, challenging the voter registration process and the election. But Heller said there are a "few straggling law suits but I think we can handle those."

State Archivist Guy Rocha told the gathering that the state's presidential electors were elected on the ballot until 1948. The system was changed so people voted on the candidates and the electors were selected for the ceremonial task of casting the state's five electoral votes.

Nevada has five votes because it has three members of the House and two in the Senate.

In the 2000 election, Nevada's four electoral votes also went to Bush.