Holly Madison stars in Nevada’s $800,000 voter campaign

By David McGrath Schwartz

Published Friday, Sept. 14, 2012 | 7:20 p.m.

Updated Monday, Sept. 17, 2012 | 4:41 p.m.

Secretary of State Ross Miller is launching television ads featuring himself, Gov. Brian Sandoval and entertainer Holly Madison to encourage Nevadans to register to vote.

The ads were produced as part of an $800,000 contract the state signed to increase participation in this election, following dismal turnout in June’s primary.

One ad features Miller giving a civics speech on an elevator, and then bumping into Las Vegas personality Holly Madison, who asks, “Are you working on that elevator speech, Ross?” (Madison, according to the office, donated her time for the production.) Another ad, targeted at members of the military, features Gov. Brian Sandoval and Miller.

The third ad features Miller speaking in Spanish.

The deadline to register to vote online or by mail is Oct. 6. The deadline to register in person is Oct. 16.

A legislative committee approved the spending on a mostly party-line vote in June. The state awarded the competitively bid contract to the Glenn Group, which is based in Nevada.

Elected officials have been dinged in the past for featuring themselves in ads. Miller is no exception. In 2010, the Nevada Republican Party filed a complaint about Miller’s appearance in an ad encouraging people to participate in the U.S. Census. The Nevada Commission on Ethics later dismissed that complaint.

The videos are part of a multimedia campaign that includes outdoor and online media. The contract is paid out of the Federal Help America Vote Act.

People can register to vote online or through Facebook. Those forms are available at RegisterToVoteNV.gov or through the new voter registration Facebook app here.

This story has been corrected to note that people can register to vote in person up until Oct. 16. That date was not included in the ad.