Editorial: Time to stop candidate switcheroos

Thursday, June 10, 2004 | 9:25 a.m.

Nevada law requires candidates for public office to be residents of the district or ward they seek to represent. But in every election there are a few candidates whose residency claims are obviously shams or at least highly questionable. Generally, these are people who suddenly show up in districts that have open seats. They rent an apartment or home, or sometimes even purchase a property, so they can technically comply with the residency law before filing to run in the upcoming election.

This shady practice inevitably draws cries of foul play from legitimate candidates, but nevertheless it has been generally tolerated. This election season, however, is witnessing what we hope will be a strong message to candidates tempted to play this game.

Clark County District Attorney David Roger has filed complaints against two legislative candidates, Democrat Todd Allen, running in Senate District 11, and Republican Anne DiMartini, running in Assembly District 29. Allen, who owns a home out of the district in Summerlin, claims to be living in an apartment in a low-income neighborhood within the district. DiMartini owns a home outside Assembly District 29 but bought one within the district in May. Rogers' complaint states she wasn't living in her new home before she filed for office.

There is never a shortage of such instances. In the special election currently under way for the Ward 2 seat on the Las Vegas City Council, candidate Nevada Stupak has pulled a residential switcheroo, moving from a gated residence outside the district to an apartment within it. No one challenged Stupak's residency, so, unlike with Allen and DiMartini, he will not be facing a judge and the possibility of being ordered to drop out of the race.

In our view, the state needs to lengthen the residency requirement. A candidate must only show that he lived in the district 30 days before filing for office. A month's rent is obviously no barrier for many candidates. We believe the residency requirement should be at least six months.