A menos de un año de las elecciones presidenciales de 2024, los expertos electorales de Nevada ven una serie de amenazas que podrían afectar a los votantes, desde la desinformación hasta los esfuerzos de supresión de votos. Por eso enfatizan que es importante conocer sus derechos. La directora ejecutiva de Silver State Voices, Emily Persaud-Zamora, dice que Nevada tiene tres elecciones el próximo año: las primarias de preferencia presidencial en febrero, las primarias en junio y las elecciones generales a principios de noviembre. Si tiene al menos 18 años y ha sido residente de Nevada durante al menos 30 días, puede votar. Persaud-Zamora explica que no tendrá que mostrar una identificación, a menos que sea votante por primera vez, y no se trata solo de la carrera presidencial.
"Se acercan las elecciones presidenciales y es muy importante. Ya sabes, están sucediendo muchas cosas en este momento con la junta escolar. ¿Tienes una opinión sobre eso? Algunas de esas personas se presentarán a elecciones. Por lo tanto, asegúrese de estar registrado para poder hacer oír su voz sobre esos temas en particular," enfatizó Persaud-Zamora.
Agrega que donar tiempo a grupos que trabajan para proteger el proceso democrático puede marcar una gran diferencia. Su organización ayuda a administrar el Programa de Protección Electoral no partidista e insiste que siempre están buscando voluntarios. También sugiere donar a organizaciones sin fines de lucro que trabajan para involucrar a los votantes en comunidades marginadas.
Kerry Durmick es la directora del estado de Nevada para All Voting is Local (Todo voto es local). Ella menciona que en la última sesión legislativa se aprobaron dos leyes de acceso al voto que impactan directamente a las naciones tribales. La SB 216 exige lo que Durmick llama "mejor comunicación" entre las naciones tribales de Nevada y los funcionarios electorales, garantizando un mejor acceso a los lugares de votación y al voto. Y la SB 327 agiliza el establecimiento de lugares de votación y buzones de votación en las reservas.
"Realmente aumentamos los lugares de votación basados en reservas, de dos lugares de votación en 2019 a 17 en 2022. Y con suerte, en 2024 veremos aun más, gracias a algunos de estos proyectos de ley que se convirtieron en ley," analizó Durmick.
Durmick además agrega que es necesario trabajar más para garantizar el acceso lingüístico al votar. La AB 246 habría hecho precisamente eso, pero fue vetada por el gobernador Joe Lombardo. Desde entonces, el condado de Clark acordó traducir materiales al chino para las tres elecciones en 2024.
Apoyo para esta historia fue proporcionado por la Carnegie Corporation of New York
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As the Trump administration ramps up arrests of undocumented immigrants, some in Nevada are choosing to skip work or keep their children home from school.
On Wednesday, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump's attempt to ban birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants. But as real fear plagues communities in Nevada and across the country, the Silver State's nine-member Latino Caucus has said they won't stay complacent.
Assemblywoman and caucus chair Cecilia González, D-Las Vegas, said Trump's attack on immigrant families is personal for her, which is why she's introducing The Family Unity Support Act.
"This bill is seeking to ensure the protections of children's whose parents may be facing deportation proceedings," she said, "so it ensures that their overall mental, scholarly and legal well-being are taken care of by the state."
The bill's final details are still being worked out.
The White House has said the roundups taking place nationwide are targeting immigrants with criminal records, but some with no record have also been detained. Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, has said any potential raids on schools would be assessed on a "case-by-case basis," and determined by national-security or public-safety threats.
Assemblywoman Selena Torres-Fossett, D-Las Vegas, who is also part of the Nevada Latino Caucus, said they will look at every policy to ensure Nevada children and their families stay safe, but warned that with immigration being such a hot-button issue, more directives and actions from the White House are likely to follow.
"I think we are going to continue to see the federal government and President Trump inciting fear and hate in our schools and our communities," she said, "and we will continue to fight back in every way that we can."
In response to the federal government's actions pertaining to immigrant communities, the ACLU of Nevada has created an online portal for Nevadans to report civil liberties and civil rights violations of immigrants in the Silver State.
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Idaho lawmakers have introduced a slate of bills which would put up greater hurdles for passing voter-initiated ballot measures.
Legislation this session includes bills to increase the threshold for passage to 50%, allowing the governor to veto passed measures and proposes a constitutional amendment that would require signatures from six percent of voters in all 35 districts.
Sen. James Ruchti, D-Pocatello, assistant Senate minority leader, said the measures come after years of attacks from Republicans on voter initiatives.
"They constantly live in fear that the people will tire of the Legislature not listening to them and will use the initiative process to get done that which the Legislature should do," Ruchti asserted.
Ruchti noted one instance in which lawmakers did not listen to Idahoans was on Medicaid expansion. In 2018, 60% of voters approved a measure to expand the program. Lawmakers have introduced a bill this session to repeal Medicaid expansion. Sponsors of ballot measure legislation argued out-of-state money drives the initiatives.
Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, who sponsored some of the bills to increase initiative thresholds, said allowing the governor to veto measures would be similar to bills passed in the Legislature. He also contended it is "good protection for a misinformed electorate if they don't get the information like we get to have."
Ruchti countered lawmakers deal with people who have agendas.
"We are surrounded by special interest groups who are trying to get their particular bills passed and they use a variety of arguments, some of which are specious, some of which are accurate information," Ruchti observed. "It's just part of living in a democracy. So, the voters can figure this out and they do."
Senate Joint Resolution 101 would make the signature gathering process for voter initiatives harder, increasing the number of districts where six percent of voters have to sign from 18 to all 35. The resolution would need approval from voters to amend the constitution. Lawmakers proposed the amending resolution because in 2021, the Idaho Supreme Court blocked a similar bill, calling it unconstitutional.
Ruchti added attempts like this are disrupting grassroots efforts.
"The signature gatherers, for example, as a general rule and maybe even almost entirely are volunteers who are just taking their time to do something that they feel is really important," Ruchti pointed out. "That certainly was the way it was with Medicaid expansion."
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The Nevada Legislature has kicked off this week and progressive groups are sharing their top priorities.
Many are asking Gov. Joe Lombardo to work with Democrats to get important legislation over the finish line.
Mathilda Guerrero Miller, government relations director for the group Native Voters Alliance Nevada, said the climate crisis is only worsening in Nevada. Whether record-breaking temperatures in the summer or cold winters forcing family decisions about how to afford home heating, she argued more should be done.
"We're fighting for stronger outdoor worker protections and an end to utility shut-offs during extreme heat and cold," Guerrero Miller outlined. "This isn't about policy. It is about basic survival and the ability to thrive. This is also not about party lines. It's about doing what is right."
Nevada approved a regulation mandating businesses with more than 10 employees conduct a "job hazard analysis," and write up a safety program with solutions to potentially harmful working conditions. The Extreme Weather Working Conditions Bill in 2023 would have revised existing workplace safety and health law to require more worker protections but failed. Advocates said they will try again.
Ben Iness, coalition Coordinator for the Nevada Housing Justice Alliance, said housing security and affordability are also top of mind. One of the priorities he and others would like to see reformed is about summary evictions. In Nevada, when a renter receives an eviction notice, they have to file a response in court to prevent the eviction from escalating. If not, Iness noted, it could lead to them being kicked out.
"We're the only state in the country where the tenant has to file first against themselves," Iness pointed out. "They're effectively suing against themselves because their landlord has an issue. And so, folks struggle to navigate that process. They might self-evict, out of fear or hopelessness."
Landlords allege before an eviction is finalized, there are multiple attempts to communicate with a tenant about the resources and services available to help. Iness countered the tenant protections they are fighting for would address the power imbalance between landlords and renters.
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