Just because a primary contest doesn’t receive much attention doesn’t mean it isn’t important.
Nevada’s early voting is underway. Not many voters have bothered to show up. In-person early voting opened Saturday. As of this writing, fewer than 12,000 Clark County voters have cast in-person ballots. For context, almost 30,000 Clark County residents voted on the first day of in-person early voting for the 2024 general election,
Just over 26,000 Clark County mail ballots have been returned. Once again, that’s a small fraction of the 2024 total at this point in the election.
This is normal. Fewer people vote in primaries compared to general elections. That’s especially true because there isn’t a competitive primary for governor or U.S. Senate. Attorney General is an important statewide office with heated primaries for both Republicans and Democrats. But it isn’t pushing people to the polls.
This doesn’t mean voting in the primary is a waste. It means your vote has greater influence. With that in mind, consider a couple of education races.
Clark County School District Trustee and school board Vice President Irene Bustamante Adams is running for reelection in District F. She served as board president last year and oversaw the process of hiring Jhone Ebert as superintendent. Compared to the drama and dysfunction of previous years, Bustamante Adams has helped bring a level of professionalism to the board. But voters shouldn’t be content with a well-managed decline.
She’s done little to fight many of the destructive policies the district has in place. They include dumbed-down grading standards, dangerously lax discipline policies and allowing students to pick their own gender.
Laurence Neely is a much better option. He wants to restore discipline in district classrooms. He wants schools to prioritize educational basics over “agenda-driven curriculum,” according to his website. He’s gone after Bustamante Adams for supporting DEI and the minimum F. Parents can trust him to oppose having sexually explicit books in district libraries.
Full disclosure: I know him a bit as our kids have done some activities together.
Neely does face a major hurdle. He’s a man. In races for school board and district court judges, voters have favored female candidates. Perhaps the competitive Republican primary in CD3, which includes much of District F, will boost Republican turnout.
The Nevada System of Higher Education is run by the Board of Regents. Patrick Boylan is the incumbent in District 5, which includes some of North Las Vegas and areas around part of the Las Vegas Strip. In 2024, Boylan asked several athletic directors, “Do we have any men masquerading as women playing in any of our teams and hurting any of the women?”
The education establishment had a collective meltdown, but Boylan raised an important issue. Months later, the University of Nevada, Reno’s volleyball team courageously refused to compete against another team that included a man pretending to be a woman.
Former state Senator Mo Denis is one of several candidates running against Boylan. Regent races are often a bit of a mess but voters should reward Boylan for his courage.
The key to improving Nevada education isn’t more money. It’s better leadership.
Victor Joecks’ column appears in the Opinion section each Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. Listen to him discuss his columns each Monday at noon with Kevin Wall on AM 670 KMZQ Right Talk. Contact him at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4698. Follow @victorjoecks on X.
