Nonpartisans and young people are adding to the uptick in Nevada voter registrations

Young people make up more of the state’s registered voters than they did at the same time in the last midterm election, a gain that progressive groups hope translates to ballots cast.

Heading into Election Day in November, voter registrations are ticking upward across the board, particularly among young people. Voters are also increasingly stepping away from party labels and registering as nonpartisan, according to the Nevada secretary of state.

“Young people are not only the fastest-growing voting bloc in America, but we are also the most progressive and most diverse,” said Sierra Bumangla, an organizer with the group Nextgen Nevada, at a recent rally opposing a campaign visit to Las Vegas by President Donald Trump. “President (Barack) Obama told us that change is brought about because people, ordinary people, do extraordinary things, and I believe that on Nov. 6, young people will be the force that brings about this change.”

Nextgen was founded by Tom Steyer, the billionaire hedge fund manager and liberal activist, and touts itself as the larges youth vote program in American history.september’s record 1,519,038 active registered voters in Nevada topped the state’s previous peak of 1,507,882 in February

Nevada’s deadline to register to vote in the November midterm election is this week.

In-person registrations are no longer being accepted. But prospective voters with a valid ID or driver’s license from the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles can still register online at Registertovotenv.gov. The deadline for online registration is 11:59 p.m. Thursday.

Among the top races to be decided Nov. 6 are for the U.S. Senate, four congressional seats and governor.

2017. Democrats increased their advantage over Republicans for the sixth month in a row, to nearly 70,000 in September. The party’s edge had fallen from nearly 74,000 to just over 59,000 from February to March.

Nonpartisans are the third-largest group of active registered voters behind Democrats and Republicans. They represented just over 21.6 percent of the total population of active registered voters last month, up from just over 19.1 percent in the same month in 2014. More young people between 18 and 35 years old are registering as either Democrats or nonpartisans than Republican.

Nextgen is working to register young voters of all political ideologies for the midterm elections. The organization reported on Oct. 9 that it had registered 10,810 voters ages 18 to 35 in Nevada. The group’s state youth director, Tyson Megown, said students at rural and urban colleges alike had been enthusiastic about getting registered and volunteering.

“In 2014 and especially in 2016, young people absolutely saw what happens when you show up to vote, and certainly what happens when you don’t,” Megown said.

Voters ages 18 to 24 represented more than 10 percent of the state’s active registered voters in September, the most recent secretary of state data available. At the same time during the last midterms in 2014, they represented less than 9.4 percent. Many are Democrats, with nonpartisans about 10,000 active registered voters below them and more than 16,000 above Republicans.

Voters ages 25 to 34, another target area for voter registration groups, represent more than 16.5 percent of the state’s active registered voters. In September 2014, they accounted for more than 14.6 percent. Many are Democrats, at over 96,000 active registered voters. The nearly 75,000 nonpartisans in that age

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