Nevada

2010

 

In Nevada, the state legislature has already approved two referenda for the 2010 ballot. The first is a response to the 2008 initiative that prohibited property taken through eminent domain to be transferred to a private party. The legislature’s amendment would create exceptions to this rule, but retains all other provisions of the voter-approved law.

The other referenda would reform the current judicial selection process. Currently, any lawyer can run for judge, but the proposed system would allow the Governor to appoint supreme and circuit court judges from a list of candidates recommended by an independent panel. The state would also hold retention elections in which 55% approval would be required for judges to serve another term.

An effort is also under way to place a “personhood” initiative on the ballot that would be a blanket abortion ban.  This so-called “personhood” initiative is part of a national right-wing effort to end a woman's right to choose, ban several of the most medically safe forms of birth control, restrict common fertility treatments, such as in vitro fertilization, and put an end to stem cell research. In 2008, a “personhood” initiative was soundly defeated in Colorado.

Finally, the so-called Save Our Secret Ballot campaign (SOS), is currently collecting signature petitions. SOS Ballot is a deceptive, misleading and frivolous ballot initiative and referenda campaign that has been attempted in many states but is based in Las Vegas.

The campaign seeks to undermine and derail the Employee Free Choice Act by spreading the lie that it would eliminate secret ballots for all elections, including those for public officials and votes on ballot initiatives. The truth is, the Employee Free Choice Act has nothing to do with "elections for public office or public votes on initiatives or referenda," and it absolutely protects workers right to choose a secret ballot in union elections. The choice would be for workers, not their bosses, to decide how to form a union. Even the Wall Street Journal admitted that, "The bill doesn't remove the secret-ballot option from the National Labor Relations Act."

SOS Ballot is a frivolous ballot initiative whose supporters even acknowledge will lose in court. The US Chamber of Commerce, the National Right to Work Committee, and the author of SOS Ballot have admitted that that the ballot initiative is a losing legal argument. According to the US Chamber of Commerce's own attorney, Willis J. Goldsmith, the SOS Ballot initiative would have no impact on labor law, even if the Employee Free Choice Act were to be passed by Congress. Greg Mourad, the legislative director of the National Right to Work Committee, has said that the courts would hold that "EFCA preempted the state ballot initiatives." Even Clint Bolick of the Goldwater Institute, member of the SOS Ballot advisory board, and author of the ballot language has acknowledged that federal law trumps a conflicting state law or constitutional provision.

The SOS campaign is nothing more than another deceptive, corporate backed effort to attack job security, keep wages low, and cut health care benefits. This comes at a time when families are struggling with layoffs, shrinking wages and skyrocketing health care costs, while corporate CEOs are giving themselves millions in bonuses.

2008

For more 2008 election information, click here.

 

For additional information please check with the Nevada Secretary of State: http://sos.state.nv.us/