Opening remarks
Sometime in the next few weeks leading up to early voting that begins on October 22nd your Sample Ballot will arrive in the mail. Like the Primary Election, every registered voter will get their ballot in the mail.
If mail-in ballots aren’t your thing, you can opt-out by filling out this form and sending it to your county clerk/register.
Regardless, now is the time to start brushing up on who and what will appear on your ballot. The following events are a couple of ways to learn about candidates. I’m sure I’ve missed some so please let me now if you know of an organization or publication that has candidate information.
Gubernatorial candidates Governor Sisolak and Sheriff Lombardo will face off at the Nevada Independent’s “Indy Fest” so you’ll want to sign up. They have a great line up of events 10/1 and 10/2. The Indy has pretty comprehensive elections website that also offers up “On the record” a series of interviews with candidates.
The Reno Sparks Chamber of Commerce is hosting Candidate Forums Thursday afternoons leading up to the beginning of early voting, that include most of the Constitutional offices and a few northern Nevada candidates. They have also scheduled both sides of Question 3, the Ranked Choice Voting Initiative. These are in-person events, and you will need to be a member of the Chamber to attend. Post event videos of the Forums will be published on This is Reno.
You can view the complete list of certified candidates for the 2022 general election here.
Important Dates
| General Early Voting | October 22 – November 4 |
| General Election | Tuesday November 8, 2022 |
ICYMI
Supreme Court rejects writ to keep ineligible AG candidate off ballot
Senate races in Georgia and Nevada are the most expensive of 2022 so far
New COVID-19 booster available in Nevada
ECONOMY
Nevada’s job market ‘restructuring,’ economists say
Recent economic data suggests Nevada’s labor market is restructuring as workers move between jobs. And like the rest of the state, the Las Vegas metro area is also seeing high rates of churn — or the pace of workers moving between jobs.
David Schmidt, chief economist at the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, said he expects to see more churn in the future in part because Nevada’s population growth adds to its economic growth.
“Essentially, there was a shift in our workforce that happened over the last few years where many workers went from working in leisure and hospitality and either potentially opened a new business (or joined a new sector),” Andrew Woods, director of UNLV’s Center for Business and Economic Research, said. “Our industries that were frontline to some degree and critical during the pandemic have some of the greatest churn in the workforce.”
EDUCATION
Ballot initiative to split up CCSD endorsed by 6 chambers of commerce
The “Community Schools Initiative” that would split up the Clark County School District, the fifth largest district in the country, if voters approve it in 2024, announced endorsements from The Vegas Chamber, Henderson Chamber of Commerce, Latin Chamber of Commerce, Urban Chamber of Commerce, Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce, and Boulder City Chamber of Commerce.
The ballot initiative is in the signature gathering phase and will qualify for the November 2024 ballot once it collects 140,777 valid signatures. The Nevada Legislature could also pass the initiative in its 2023 session, according to the Community Schools Initiative. If approved, the initiative would allow a new district to begin operating within two years. The new school district would retain previously allocated funding, honor existing contracts and function under the state Board of Education, however it would have its own board of trustees.
ENVIRONMENT
Bald Mountain receives Excellence in Mine Reclamation Award
Kinross Gold Corp.—KG Mining received The Nevada Excellence in Mine Reclamation Award at the 31st year of the Nevada Excellence in Mine Reclamation Awards for their work at the Bald Mountain Mine in White Pine County.
The goal of the annual Nevada reclamation awards is to encourage operators and explorers to submit reclamation projects which raise industry standards, increase public awareness of the positive aspects of mining, and encourage innovation in reclamation techniques. The awards committee consists of representatives from the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, the Nevada Department of Wildlife, the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Forest Service, and the Nevada Division of Minerals.
HOUSING
Clark County approves allocating nearly $120M for affordable housing.
Clark County Commissioners on Tuesday approved allocating nearly $120 million to develop more than 3,100 homes in the Las Vegas Valley. Clark County says its “Welcome Home Community Housing Fund” was “created to address the urgent need for housing for low-income residents, families, seniors and those who are employed but unable to find affordable housing.”
INFRASTRUCTURE
NDOT receives record $101M in additional federal transportation spending authority
At the Monday morning Transportation Board of Directors meeting, Nevada Department of Transportation Director Kristina Swallow announced that $101 million in additional federal highway spending authority — the most Nevada has ever received — has been made available for state road and bridge projects in Nevada as part of the August Redistribution from the Federal Highway Administration. This additional spending authority will allow the state to receive federal reimbursement more quickly for planned projects.
Website launched to track Nevada infrastructure projects
The State announced the launch of NevadaBuilds.com earlier this month, a website designed to track the infrastructure projects funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IJJA). Nevada is expected to receive upwards of $4 billion over five years from the IJJA. As of July 2022, approximately $780 million in IIJA funding has been announced and is headed to Nevada.
OUTDOOR RECREATION
Billionaire No More: Patagonia Founder Gives Away the Company
A half century after founding the outdoor apparel maker Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard, the eccentric rock climber who became a reluctant billionaire with his unconventional spin on capitalism, has given the company away.
Rather than selling the company or taking it public, Mr. Chouinard, his wife and two adult children have transferred their ownership of Patagonia, valued at about $3 billion, to a specially designed set of trusts and nonprofit organizations. They were created to preserve the company’s independence and ensure that all of its profits — some $100 million a year — are used to combat climate change and protect undeveloped land around the globe.
What we’re doing this Interim
The 2021 Nevada Legislature passed Assembly Bill 443, Legislation that fundamentally changed the way the Legislature operates between Sessions. The newly formed Interim Standing Committees have begun meeting, hearing overviews of their mission and setting agendas for the next eleven months.
Click here to view a list of upcoming Joint Interim Standing Committee meetings.
Click here to view the list of Bill Draft Requests (BDRs) for the upcoming 2023 Legislative Session.
2021 Redistricting Maps
The new boundaries would give 14 of the 21 state Senate districts and 27 of the 42 Assembly districts a voter registration advantage for Democrats over Republicans of more than 4.5 percent.
The Nevada Independent
Please see the links below to view the new district lines for Nevada Assembly, Senate and Congressional delegation.