Bill proposed to change date of primary election

By Cy Ryan

Monday, Feb. 9, 2009 | 4:50 p.m.

CARSON CITY -- The poor voter turnout in last year’s primary election has prompted a bill in the Senate to change the date.

The 2007 Legislature changed the date of the primary election to mid-August or the 12th Tuesday before the general election.

Now, Senate Minority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, and 10 co-sponsors, including Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, want it returned to the first Tuesday of September.

The 2008 primary election had a turnout of 17.9 percent, or 118,652 voters of the more than 1 million registered voters.

People were still on vacation in August and “there was a complete lack of interest,” Raggio said.

The 2006 primary election saw 30 percent turnout with 287,994 showing up at the polls. The primary turnout in 2004 was 29.1 percent, with 275,913 casting ballots.

Senate Bill 120 was referred to the Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections.