Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske is seeking applicants to serve on the Ballot Question Committees that will write the arguments for and against Ballot Question 5, The Automatic Voter Registration Initiative. NRS 293.252 requires the Secretary of State to appoint two committees to prepare the arguments for and against each statewide ballot question proposed by initiative or referendum.
To date, the five questions listed below have qualified for the 2018 General Election ballot; however, only Question 5 will require the appointment of committees. Questions 1 and 2 require the legislature to write the arguments for and against as these questions are the result of legislation passed during the 2017 Session of the Nevada Legislature. Questions 3 and 4 propose constitutional amendments and were on the ballot in 2016. These questions will have the same arguments for the 2018 General Election.
Currently, the questions on the 2018 General Election ballot will be:
- Question 1 – Marsy’s Law (SJR 17, 2017) – Proposes to amend the Nevada Constitution to include certain rights for victims of crime (arguments written by the Legislative Counsel Bureau);
- Question 2 – Sales Tax Exemption for Feminine Hygiene Products (SB 415, 2017) – Proposes to amend NRS to exempt certain feminine hygiene products from being taxed under the Sales and Use Tax Act of 1955 (arguments written by the Legislative Counsel Bureau);
- Question 3 –The Energy Choice Initiative (Q3, 2016) – Proposes to amend the Nevada Constitution to require an open, competitive retail electric energy market (arguments the same as on the 2016 ballot);
- Question 4 – Medical Patient Tax Relief Act (Q4, 2016) – Proposes to amend the Nevada Constitution to exempt certain durable medical equipment and mobility enhancing devices from any tax upon the sale, storage, use, or consumption of tangible personal property (arguments the same as on the 2016 ballot); and
- Question 5 – The Automatic Voter Registration Initiative (IP1, 2017) – Proposes to amend NRS to provide for the automatic voter registration of citizens qualified to vote when they obtain certain services from the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) (requires the appointment of ballot question committees).
Each ballot question committee will be made up of up to three members, and a person cannot serve on both the pro and con committee. Ballot question committee members serve without compensation, and consideration will be given to an individual who is a member of an organization that has expressed interest in having a member of the organization serve on the committee.
“The role of each Ballot Question Committee is very important.” said Secretary Cegavske. “The arguments for and against provide Nevada voters with information necessary to make an informed choice at the polls.”
Individuals interested in serving on either the pro or con ballot question committee for The Automatic Voter Registration Initiative should submit an application indicating their interest. The ballot question committee membership application is available by clicking here. It can also be obtained by contacting the Secretary of State’s Elections Division at (775) 684-5705 or via email at nvelect@sos.nv.gov.
The deadline for individuals to submit a ballot question committee application to the Secretary of State’s office is 5:00 p.m. on Friday, February 16, 2018. The Secretary of State’s office will announce the names of the committee members by Friday, March 2, 2018.