Today Is A Great Day To Register To Vote.

By April Corbin Girnus, Nevada Current

September 28, 2021

Tuesday is National Voter Registration Day, a nonpartisan civic holiday backed by the country’s most prominent election officials and groups.

Census data from 2020 suggests that as many as one in four eligible Americans are not registered to vote, according to organizers of National Voter Registration Day. For residents in states with more restrictive voting policies, that can lead to people missing registration deadlines and being unable to cast a ballot in their local, state and national elections.

Nevada is considered progressive in its election policies. Nevada has automatic voter registration at the Department of Motor Vehicles, automatically restores voting rights for formerly incarcerated people, and allows same-day voter registration.

Still, election officials recommend not putting off registering to vote if you are newly eligible and, if you are already registered, making sure your information stays up-to-date.

Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske, in alignment with the National Association of Secretaries of State, declared September Voter Registration Month, calling it “a time to promote the various means available for eligible Nevadans to register to vote.”

“Voting is a right and privilege given to United States citizens that should not be taken for granted,” the Republican elected official continued. “Nevadans need to take the opportunity to make their voices heard by electing local, state, and federal officials through the process of voting.”

Other elected officials, from both sides of the aisle, came out with statements or proclamations Tuesday encouraging people to register or update their voter registration.

Currently, more than 1.8 million people are active registered to vote in Nevada. Of them:

• 650,251 are Democrats (34.78%);
• 568,279 are Republicans (30.40%);
• 494,306 are Nonpartisan (26.44%);
• 84,272 are members of the Independent American Party (4.51%);
• 18,134 are members of the Libertarian Party of Nevada (0.97%); and
• 54,365 are members of other minor political parties (2.91%)

Nevada Current, a nonprofit, online source of political news and commentary, documents the policies, institutions and systems that affect Nevadans’ daily lives. The Current is part of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers.