I’m a nonpartisan. What will my primary ballot look like?
May 24, 2024 - 5:38 pm
Early voting has begun for Nevada’s June 11 primary election, and while Nevada’s largest voting bloc — nonpartisans and third party candidates — can’t weigh in on partisan races, there are still important races for them to vote on.
Nonpartisan voters’ ballots will differ depending on where they live. Voters can look at their sample ballot to determine their precinct-specific races.
In Henderson’s precinct 7366, for instance, the races a nonpartisan voter can participate in are the Clark County School Board’s District A, justice of the peace for Henderson’s Department 1, and justice of the peace for Henderson Department 3.
Some nonpartisan contests may be called in the primary, with the winner elected to office if they receive more than 50 percent of the vote.
Here’s what your primary ballot might look like if you’re a nonpartisan voter.
Board of Regents
The Nevada System of Higher Education’s Board of Regents is responsible for setting policies and approving budgets for the state’s entire public system of higher education.
For years, the board has faced challenges and complaints about its efficiency. It has seen a high turnover of chancellors, who serve as the chief executive office of the system, and legislative efforts have been made to consolidate the board.
In the primary, some nonpartisans can vote in the Board of Regents’ District 1 race. The seat, representing parts of North Las Vegas, is held by Regent Laura Perkins, who is running for state Senate. Matthew T. Bowen, Carlos D. Fernandez and Ida M. Zeiler are running to replace her.
The Board of Regent’s District 4, covering parts of East Las Vegas and Sunrise Manor, is also up in the primary. Incumbent Donald Sylvantee McMichael Sr., Aaron Bautista, Richard A. Carrillo, Tonia Holmes-Sutton and Shawn Stamper are running for the seat.
Clark County School Board
Four seats on the Clark County School Board are up for grabs in November, and there are more than two dozen candidates running for the positions.
In District A — which covers parts of Henderson, Boulder City, Searchlight and Laughlin — the candidates are Anna Binder, Karl Catarata, Mercedes McKinley, Rachel A. Puaina and Emily Stevens.
In District B, representing Lone Mountain, Moapa, Bunkerville, Mesquite, Overton and Logandale, the candidates running include Samuel “Russ” Burns, Lydia Dominguez, Eileen Eady, Robert J. Plummer, Doug Self and Deven Singh.
In District C, which covers North Las Vegas and parts of Las Vegas, Frank Friends, Evelen Garcia Morales, Tameka Henry, Christopher P. Teacher and Dante T. Thompson are on the ballot.
The board’s District E, representing Summerlin, includes the candidates Lorena Biassotti, Kamilah Bywaters, Ryan Kissling, Leonard Lither, Joshua Logie, Carlo Meguerian, Paula Salsman, Jeremy Setters and Matthew Tramp.
State Board of Education
The State Board of Education is responsible for managing the state’s public K-12 education system.
Up for the primary is the board’s District 3 in the southern part of the Las Vegas valley, where Rene Cantu, Danielle Ford and Jasmine Kurys are the candidates.
Tim Hughes, a candidate for District 4 of the state board of education, is running unopposed.
City Council and mayors
In Las Vegas, there’s a crowded race for mayor, where candidates are competing to replace the long reign of the Goodmans. Three seats on the Las Vegas City Council are also going to be on the ballot.
Dennis F. Chairez, Miriam Gibson and incumbent Brian Knudsen are competing for Ward 1 — which encompasses much of the central valley west of Interstate 15 as well as the Las Vegas Medical District.
Melissa Clary, Olivia Diaz and David Gomez II are candidates for Ward 3, which covers the east side of Las Vegas.
Ward 5, encompassing the Historic Westside, includes a slew of candidates, including big names like former Assemblyman Cameron “CH” Miller and Assemblywoman Shondra Summers-Armstrong, as well as Sheila Collins, Katherine “Katie” Duncan, Josanna Espejo, Barbara Jones Zangaro, Mariana Catherine Santiago and Erika “The Choice” Smith.
Seats are also up for election in North Las Vegas, Boulder City, Henderson and Mesquite.
Justices of the peace
Several seats are up for justices of the peace around Clark County, including in Boulder City, Henderson, Las Vegas, Laughlin, Mesquite, Moapa, North Las Vegas and Searchlight.
Justice courts are county clerks that handle misdemeanor criminal matters, traffic cases and preliminary hearings and arraignments. In Nevada, there are 43 justice courts with 63 justices of the peace.
Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.