What has voter participation looked liked in Nevada’s primaries in last 20 years?
Are past voter turnout statistics a bellwether for what participation will look like on the June 11 primary?
Nevada’s primaries have seen less voter participation over the years than general elections, which is to be expected, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t contentious.
In June, Republican candidates will battle it out for a chance to defeat the Democratic incumbents who hold three of four of Nevada’s congressional seats. Many legislative candidates will also be on the ballot, as well as candidates for Nevada’s System of Higher Education’s Board of Regents and Clark County School District’s Board of Trustees.
The lowest turnout for a primary in the last 20 years was in 2008, which saw less than 18 percent voter turnout. In that election, Democrat Shelley Berkley won her primary for Nevada’s 1st Congressional District, Republican Dean Heller won his in Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District, and Dina Titus won hers in Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District.
Earlier that year, Democrats and Republicans participated in presidential caucuses, with Democrats picking Hillary Clinton and Republicans picking Mitt Romney.
The primary with the highest participation rate was in 2010 with 30.12 percent turnout. Late Democratic Sen. Harry Reid easily won his primary, and Sharron Angle handedly won her Republican primary in the Senate race, defeating Sue Lowden and Danny Tarkanian.
Here’s what voter turnout has looked like in Nevada’s primaries over the last 20 years.
Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.