LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Nevada's primary election is just around the corner.
Already, sample ballots have been arriving in mailboxes, packed full of information about the upcoming election, including contact numbers, early voting sites and locations and a listing of the races that will appear on each voter's ballot.
Those sample ballots will be followed shortly by official mail-in ballots, which are automatically sent to all active registered voters in the state.
WATCH | What to know before your ballot arrives for the primary election
For voters who want to cast their ballots in person, early voting starts on Saturday, March 23 and runs through Friday, June 5, and election day is on Tuesday, June 9.
New voting process with paper ballots
The in-person voting process will be slightly different this year. Voters will still use the electronic voting machines to make their selections.
But then, unlike past years, they will print out a paper ballot with their choices listed on it. If those choices are accurate, voters will then take insert that paper ballot in to a tabulation machine, which will record the vote.
For mail-in ballots, the procedure stays the same: Mark the ballot with your choices, using blue or black ink, put it into the return envelope and sign your name on the outside. Unsigned ballots — or ballots where the signature doesn't match the one on file in the county's election office — will be set aside and not counted until they can be verified.
Although mail-in ballots will still be counted if they are postmarked by Election Day and received up to four days later, the county encourages voters to return their ballots as quickly as possible so you can ensure they are counted.
Voters who use the mail to send in their ballots can track them using a new service the state rolled out this year. Or, they can visit a voting center during early voting or on Election Day and drop their ballots in a drop box.
Sample ballots contain a list of all voting centers in Clark County (you can cast a ballot anywhere in the county, no matter where you live). Hours for some vote centers vary, but others are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily during early voting (you can also find that information in the online voter guide.)
Closed primary, nonpartisan races
In Nevada, only members of the two major political parties can vote in primary elections for partisan office, such as Congress, governor, statewide offices, state Legislature, and county government positions.
Currently, Republicans have 574,000 active registered voters, while Democrats have 568,000 statewide. But the vast majority are registered nonpartisan, at 786,000.
And there are plenty of races on the ballot that everyone can vote in, including city councils, school board, board of regents and judicial contests.
In Henderson, Mayor Michelle Romero is fighting a field of four challengers, including former Henderson Police Chief Hollie Chadwick, who was fired from her job as the top cop in the city, which led to an outcry from residents.
In Ward 3, incumbent Councilwoman Carrie Cox is fighting to keep her seat in a race that's been roiled by allegations of the secret taping of council colleagues, an indictment and even charges of physical assault.
Henderson voters will also decide on Question 1, a measure that would continue directing a portion of the property tax to city parks and recreation. A "no" vote wouldn't lower property taxes, it would simply re-direct the money elsewhere. A "yes" vote would keep those dollars in Henderson.
In North Las Vegas, incumbent Councilman Scott Black is running to replace term-limited Mayor Pamela Goynes Brown. Black has Brown's support, as well as that of the Vegas Chamber.
But Assemblywoman Daniele Monroe-Moreno is also running for the post, following a 10-year career representing North Las Vegas in Carson City. Although Black would be able to serve only a single term because of term limits, Monroe-Moreno would be eligible to lead the city for a full 12 years if she's elected.
Gary Bouchard, Zaire Langdon and Henry Thorns are also seeking the mayor's job.
North Las Vegas also has races in Wards 1 and 3.
In Las Vegas, incumbent Councilwoman Francis Allen-Palenske did not draw an opponent and was automatically re-elected. Her colleague, former think tank president Nancy Brune, was not so lucky, drawing two challengers in Ward 6, Steve Grammas and Dave Marlon.
And in Ward 2, appointed Councilwoman Kara Kelley is not seeking the job permanently, and a field of three candidates — Luke McCarthy, Marilyn Booker and Shannon Nordstrom — are seeking the office.
In nonpartisan races with more than two candidates, if nobody gets a 50%-plus-one majority in the primary, the two top vote-getters advance to the general election in November.
Checking or updating your registration
If you're not sure whether you're registered to vote, or if you want to change your address or party affiliation, you can do that on the secretary of state's website or the Clark County elections department website.
Just enter your personal information and you'll be taken to your voter records, including a list of all the elections where you've previously cast a ballot.
If you have questions about the upcoming election, politics or government, send Steve an email at Steve.Sebelius@ktnv.com, or click the banner below.
