Nevada voters will decide on open primaries and a ranked-choice voting initiative

Nevada voters will decide on a major election reform initiative that would introduce open top-five primaries and ranked-choice voting for general elections.

If approved, Question 3 would allow candidates, regardless of party affiliation, to compete in a single primary, with the top five vote-getters advancing to the general election. In the general election, voters would evaluate these candidates, and a candidate would need a simple majority to win. If no candidate succeeds, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and his or her votes are redistributed until a majority is achieved.

Supporters of the initiative, including Represent.US, Institute for Political Innovation and Vote Nevada, argue that it would give voters more options and a larger voice. Sondra Cosgrove, a history professor at the College of Southern Nevada, said, “We want to have more options. We don’t want just two people going from the primaries to the general election. We want five people because a lot of times when you look at the people who are getting ahead, they’re just the people with the most money.

The official argument of the initiative’s supporters is that the measure would give all voters, regardless of party affiliation, a voice in the general election and would encourage candidates to focus on issues important to the majority rather than partisan political interests .

Opponents, including the Nevada State AFL-CIO and Americans for Tax Reform, argue that ranked-choice voting could complicate the voting process. Emily Persaud-Zamora, executive director of Silver State Voices, said: “Ranked-choice voting makes voting more time-consuming, complicated and confusing for voters…This will inevitably lead to more errors.”

The official argument against the initiative is that it could damage the traditional conduct of elections and potentially exclude independent candidates from the general election.

Currently, Maine and Alaska use ranked-choice voting in statewide elections, while Hawaii implements it in certain circumstances. In 2020, Alaska adopted a similar system with open primary elections in the top four and ranked-choice voting for general elections. Maine adopted ranked-choice voting in 2016 for various state and federal offices, with the exception of presidential elections.