ACLU to spend $1.1M on voter registration measure
THE ACLU of Nevada announced it will spend $1.1 million to back a November ballot measure that would automatically register people to vote when they change their address.
Nevadans for Secure Elections, or Question 5 on the ballot, proposes updating voter registration automatically when citizens change addresses or move to Nevada. Backers say automatic voter registration is convenient, fair and adds a layer of security against voter fraud, human error, hacking or outside interference.
The ACLU is spending $10 million nationally in the 2018 midterms to expand voting rights in multiple states. Question 5, the group said, would modernize the Silver State’s voter registration processes at the DMV and expand voting access for Nevadans.
“The right to vote is essential for a thriving democracy and it’s essential that that right extends to every eligible voter,” said Tod Story, executive director of the ACLU of Nevada. “AVR will further secure our voter registration system at the DMV and simplify the registration experience for first-time voters, members of the armed forces, communities of color, young people, and improve participation in our elections.”
New attorney general ads
A new ad airing in Northern Nevada is hoping to tie Republican attorney general CAMPAIGN vilians asking for directions. In some, a panting Las Vegas police canine occasionally pops into frame.
The clips marked the 19th court-ordered release since early May of Metropolitan Police Department audio, video or documents from the Oct. 1 shooting, which left 58 concertgoers dead and hundreds more injured.
Just west of the Strip, an officer walks through traffic lanes on Tropicana Avenue in the longest video released Wednesday. The video lasts about 48 minutes.
As the officer passes each car, he warns drivers that
Las Vegas Boulevard is shut down because of an active shooter.
Unfazed by the information but upset about the traffic, one man asks, “How long do you guys think it’s going to be?”
“I can’t tell you,” the officer replies. “I know there’s a lot of victims.”
‘We need to get there!’
In the background, ambulance after ambulance zooms toward the Strip, VIDEOS
candidate Wes Duncan to a controversial rural sheriff who has been accused of sexual assault.
The ad comes from Democrat Aaron Ford and is his first foray onto Nevada airwaves in this election.
Ford’s ad goes after Duncan for seeking and promoting an endorsement from Storey County Sheriff Gerald Antinoro ,whooverthe years has been accused of sexual assault and sexual harassment, with the ad’s narrator saying that Duncan “bragged that he was proud to be endorsed by an alleged sexual predator.”
John Vick, Duncan’s campaign manager, called the ad a “dishonest dive into the political gutter.”
“Wesduncanhasreceivedthe endorsement of every sheriff in Nevada and has rejected only one: Sheriff Antinoro. Aaron Ford knows that,” Vick said. “Duncan has helped prosecute terrorists in Iraq and has prosecuted hundreds of criminal cases in Nevada.”
Duncan,aniraqwarveteran,on Wednesdayalsoreleasedanewtv ad highlighting his military experience and legal career. The ad is Duncan’s second of this election cycle.
Duncan’s campaign announced last year that he had been endorsed by 16 of Nevada’s 17 current sheriffs, including Antinoro. The endorsement also was listed on Duncan’s campaign website until this summer,whenitwasremovedamidan outcry from progressive groups.
“Wes Duncan bragged that he was proud to be endorsed by an alleged sexual predator,” Ford’s campaign manager Jessica Adair said.“as deputy attorney general, Duncan had an opportunity to stand up to Sheriff Gerald Antinoro; instead he sold out our safety. How could weeverletamanwhoprotecteda predator like this become attorney general?”
Duncan’s 30-second ad starts with an announcer saying, “Wes Duncan served his country in Iraq, helping prosecute terrorists in Baghdad and still serves today as a JAG officer.”
Itgoesontosayduncanisthe only candidate who served as a criminal prosecutor, handling “hundreds of criminal cases” and “delivering justice for victims.”
OT study blames Nevada leaders
A new study found that 104,000 Nevadans lost overtime pay protections because of a lawsuit led by Attorney General Adam Laxalt to block revisions to federal overtime rules.
The study, commissioned by progressive groups NELP Action and PLAN Action, also found workers in every Nevada county were impacted, including the rurals. It said Nevada workers are losing $8 million in overtime raises.
In 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor called for restoring overtime pay protections to workers earning less than $48,000 a year. But that order was effectively blocked by a lawsuit filed by 21 states, led by Laxalt. Other states such as California, New York and Pennsylvania responded to the blocked overtime pay expansion by passing state laws to deliver the protections.
“Nevada’s governor and legislature should follow those states’ lead and act quickly to deliver this badly needed overtime raise for the state’s workers,” the study said.
News and notes
After agreeing to a candidate forum for seniors, Congressional District 3 candidate Susie Lee pulled out because of one of the moderators. Republican Danny Tarkanian had agreed to the debate hosted by The Vegas Voice, a newspaper for seniors.
Lee launched her first TV ad in the general election cycle, touting her work to increase high school graduation rates.
Congressional District 4 candidate Cresent Hardy released his first TV ad, focusing on his construction business.
Thelasvegasmetrochamber of Commerce endorsed Laxalt for governor, as well as Duncan for attorney general, Michael Roberson for lieutenant governor and Barbara Cegavske for secretary of state.
Newjerseysen. Cory Booker endorsed Ford in his campaign for attorney general.
Contact Capital Bureau Chief Colton Lochhead at clochhead@ reviewjournal.com. Follow @ Coltonlochhead on Twitter. Contact Ramona Giwargis at rgiwargis@ reviewjournal.com or 702-3804538. Follow @Ramonagiwargis on Twitter.