Under existing law, major party candidates for partisan office are nominated at a primary election. (NRS 293.175) A registered voter may cast a ballot in a primary election for a major political party only if the registered voter designated on his or her application to register to vote an affiliation with that major political party. (NRS 293.257) Sections 1 and 2 of this bill authorize a registered voter who has indicated on his or her voter registration that he or she is not affiliated with a political party to vote in a primary election for a major political party by requesting a partisan mail ballot in the manner designated by the county clerk or appearing in person at the polls and requesting a partisan ballot. Section 3 of this bill requires a county clerk to prepare and distribute a partisan mail ballot to each registered nonpartisan voter who requests such a ballot. Section 4 of this bill removes the requirement for an automatic voter registration agency to notify a person during the automatic voter registration process that the person will be unable to vote at a primary election for partisan offices of a major political party unless the person indicates a major political party affiliation. Existing law provides that the computer program used in a mechanical voting system must not count unlawful votes, including votes in a primary election cast for a candidate other than the candidate of a major political party other than the party, if any, of the registration of the voter. (NRS 293B.130) Section 5 of this bill removes the prohibition on counting such a vote in a primary election, but still prohibits the computer program from counting unlawful votes. Section 6 of this bill requires a member of an election board in a primary election to issue a partisan ballot and, if a mechanical voting system is used, a voting receipt with the name of the major political party, to each nonpartisan voter who requests to vote a partisan ballot under section 1. Section 7 of this bill provides that this requirement is an exception to the requirement for a member of an election board to issue a nonpartisan voter a nonpartisan ballot and voting receipt with a nonpartisan designation. Existing law authorizes a county clerk to require partisan voters in certain precincts or districts to vote in the same manner as a nonpartisan voter. (NRS 293B.310) Section 8 of this bill authorizes the county clerk to also require nonpartisan voters who request to vote a partisan ballot to vote in such a manner.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 293.257, 293.269911, 293.57693, 293B.130, 293B.300, 293B.305, 293B.310, 298.600, 298.680
Reprint 1: 293.257, 293.269911, 293.57693, 293B.130, 293B.300, 293B.305, 293B.310
As Enrolled: 293.257, 293.269911, 293.57693, 293B.130, 293B.300, 293B.305, 293B.310
BDR: 293.257, 293.269911, 293.57693, 293B.130, 293B.300, 293B.305, 293B.310, 298.600, 298.680