City moves voter information event to Galleria Mall

By Jeremy Twitchell (contact)

Friday, Feb. 27, 2009 | midnight

In an effort to drum up voter interest in Henderson's upcoming municipal election, City Clerk Monica Simmons and her staff are hitting the road.

It's not a very long trip — 20 minutes maybe, if there's traffic — but Simmons hopes that moving a March 5 voter outreach event from City Hall in downtown Henderson to the Galleria at Sunset mall in Green Valley will allow her to make contact with more voters and demystify the municipal elections process.

"In light of the fact that there was such a great turnout in the fall federal election, we wanted to let people have the opportunity to gather in a community meeting place and learn about the municipal elections process and how they can participate," Simmons said.

Simmons and her staff will be in the mall's center court on the first floor from 5 to 7 p.m. on March 5 to answer questions and hand out information about the races.

Beginning with the two-week early voting period on March 21, Henderson voters will be asked to choose a new mayor and City Council representative for Ward III and to cast a vote for a municipal judge. The primary election is April 7, and the general municipal election is June 2.

Simmons said voter registration efforts by the two major political parties last fall have added more than 35,000 new voters to the city's rolls, and she and her staff are trying to reach out to those voters and carry over their enthusiasm to the municipal election.

In 2007, Henderson's municipal primary election had an 11 percent turnout. Both races on the ballot were decided in the primary, so there was no general election.

"A lot of people feel that they don't know the candidates well enough (in the primary), so they want to wait for the general election, when the number of candidates has dwindled down, but there's a chance that the election could be decided in the primary and they'd lose the opportunity to participate," Simmons said.

In 2005, the primary turnout was 8.8 percent, and the general election, which had only one race for a municipal judgeship on the ballot, drew less than 7 percent.

Simmons attributes the increase in turnout in 2007 to the city's decision to abandon the precinct system and establish vote centers throughout Henderson, which allowed voters from any part of the city to vote at the location that was most convenient.

The City Council has reauthorized the approach for this election but, Simmons said, many voters still don't know about the vote centers.

"It's really kind of a unique format nationwide, so I just want people to understand how to use them," Simmons said. "They don't have to rely on a designated spot."

Simmons said the event will also allow residents to register to vote, update their registration, get a voter guide or request a mail ballot.

"We're doing all sorts of things that will put (residents) in a position to be able to vote in the primary," Simmons said. "It's important to be involved, and we're going to give them the tools they need to do so."

Jeremy Twitchell can be reached at 990-8928 or jeremy.twitchell@hbcpub.com.