SAVE THE DATE! We elect our education leaders in Nevada so it’s important to attend forums with these candidates as well. These forums cover CCSD, WCSD, and NSHE (higher ed)

League supporters!

Thank you to everyone who attended our fall kickoff meeting on September 15^th! 

It was standing room only and the energy in the room was crackling.  We owe a big thank you to Meredith Levine from the Guinn Center for the fabulous presentation on all six ballot questions and we are grateful for pro and con representatives for questions 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 who participated.

If you weren’t able to make the meeting, one of our new members (Pam Johansen) taped the Guinn Center presentation and we’ve loaded it onto our League of Women Voters of Southern Nevada Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LWVSN/videos/690982604613749/

You can read the official ballot questions, pro and con arguments, and any fiscal notes here: http://www.clarkcountynv.gov/election/Pages/2018_QuestsGen.aspx

As we enter the last month before early voting starts (early voting starts Oct. 20th), here are some upcoming events we believe might be of interest to our members:   

Michelle Obama will be in Las Vegas on Sunday, September 23^rd, 4 to 6 pm, Chaparral High School, 3850 Annie Oakley Dr, Las Vegas, NV, 89121, for a When We All Vote Rally.  If you’d like to attend, you can check- in here: https://events.mobilizeamerica.io/whenweallvote/event/8847/

The College of Southern Nevada Women’s Alliance is hosting a When Women Run! event on September 25^th at the North Las Vegas Campus 6 to 7:30 pm, Building A Room 1772.  https://www.csn.edu/north-las-vegas-campus-map

At this event, Senators Pat Spearman and Patricia Farley will be discussing their experiences running for and holding office.  If you know anyone interested in running for office, please bring them along.  You can RSVP here: https://www.facebook.com/events/693811807645137/ 

The Nuns on the Bus Tax Justice Tour will be stopping in Las Vegas on October 9^th at 6:30 pm, more information here: https://networklobby.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/LasVegasNOTB2018.pdf  

October 20^th will be our League of Women Voters Community meeting on helping legislators pass laws.  With term limits, it is becoming more and more important for citizen advocates to help legislators with research that addresses big problems and advances social welfare.  We will be highlighting examples of League members who have successfully advanced bill draft requests to legislative bills.

Right after the meeting, we can caravan up to the Clark County Government Center to cast our ballots on the first day of early voting at the NOW & March to the Polls event!  Please see the attached flyer and check-in here if you’re interested: https://www.facebook.com/events/635433426824142/

The in-person voter registration deadline is October 9^th and the online voter registration deadline is October 18^th, so please help all your friends and family register to vote now.  You can register to vote, update your voter registration, request an electronic Sample Ballot, and see all the important election dates and polling locations at www.clarkcountynv.gov/vote

 Lastly, the League of Women Voters of Nevada online Voter Guide will be ready on September 24^th at https://www.ballotready.org/

 Sondra

Join the League of Women Voters of Southern Nevada September 15th as we kick off our fall meetings with a presentation by the Guinn Center on all 6 of the 2018 ballot questions.  You won’t want to miss it!  RSVP: info@lwvsn.org

We have received many questions about the difference between Ballot Question 3 and Ballot Question 6.  Here is a brief explanation:

With two energy-related measures on the ballot this November, it can be confusing to understand how these two measures differ. Even though these measures are both about energy, they are not related. While Question 3 is about who provides your energy, while Question 6 is about whether utilities should get more energy from renewable sources.

What is Question 6? What is Question 3?

Question 6 is about how much energy utilities are required to get from renewables. If passed, the measure would require electric utilities to get 50% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2030. Right now, Nevada gets 80% of its energy from out of state from fossil fuels like gas, oil and coal.

Question 3 is fundamentally about who provides your energy. Proponents of Question 3 say that a YES vote would establish “an open, competitive retail electric energy market,” reduce energy market regulations, and prohibit energy monopolies. Opponents say that the measure would “dismantle Nevada’s existing electricity system” and lock a risky experiment into Nevada’s constitution.

How do these measures relate to one another?

No matter the outcome of Question 3, Question 6 would increase Nevada’s renewable portfolio standard to 50% by 2030. That means that no matter who provides your energy, they must provide 50% from solar, wind, and other renewable sources.

If Question 3 and Question 6 pass, what will happen?

No matter who provides your energy, Question 6 would require electric utilities to get 50% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2030. If we have multiple suppliers of electricity due to Q3 passing, we will want to ensure those new energy providers all follow the same standard.  

What happens if Question 3 fails and Question 6 passes?

No matter who provides your energy, Question 6 would require electric utilities to get 50% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2030. If Q3 fails, we will want to ensure that NV Energy is held accountable to providing more clean energy and that Nevada once again becomes a leader in using renewable energy. After all, the sun and wind are abundant in Nevada and free.  

What happens if both Question 6 and Question 3 pass?

If both Question 6 and Question 3 pass, new and existing utilities in Nevada would be required to get 50% of their energy from renewable sources like solar and wind.

Who supports these measures?

Yes on 3

Question 6 is bringing together a broad bipartisan coalition of community groups, businesses and medical professionals behind a common goal: 50% renewable energy by 2030.

You can find all the information you need for the 2018 Primary Election in Clark County here: 

Please join the League of Women Voters of Southern Nevada on May 19th for a brainstorming session on increasing voter turnout.  In Nevada, primary elections often have under 20 percent turnout, midterm general elections often have under 50 percent turnout, and some municipal elections often have under 10 percent turnout.

These numbers are scary in a representative democracy. 

We simply must care as much about voter turnout as we do about voter suppression if we want effective and accountable government.  Please help us by sharing your ideas for how to get more eligible voters to turnout to vote.