Clark County voters described an easy process at the start of Election Day as poll workers observed steady lines across the valley Tuesday.
Polling places opened at 7 a.m. and will close at 7 p.m., while people in line at closing time will be allowed to cast their ballots.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal has planned extensive coverage and is dispatching reporters to voting centers throughout the county. Preliminary results, will be available online sometime after 8 p.m., and race summaries will be in Wednesday’s newspaper.
More voters needed
At the Ikea parking lot on the corner of West Sunset Road and South Durango Drive, poll workers said the heat was definitely already starting to raise the temperature for voters coming in around 9 a.m. So far they haven’t had any lines or people having to wait from when they opened at 7 a.m. But they were worried the heat might deter people from coming out if they had to stand outside.
Chaz Fairbairn popped in to vote, leaving her husband in the car with the air conditioning on. She said they were going for breakfast after however not to Ikea to grab anything for the house. Fairbairn said she’d like to see more people out to vote in the primary, however was unsure of how to get the word out better.
“Quick and easy,” she said when asked about her voting experience. “We need more people (voting). They need to know if they don’t vote it still effects the outcome, it matters.”
– Patrick Blennerhassett
‘This is tangible’
For Savanna Lawson and Ethan Johnson, both 23, bipartisanship is embedded into their romantic relationship, sometimes raising eyebrows in each of their families.
Despite Lawson being a registered Democrat and Johnson a Republican, they voted together in the primary at the College of Southern Nevada early Tuesday morning.
“A lot of times during the presidential election, it feels like my vote doesn’t mean anything,” Lawson said. “This, though, is tangible.”
“If you complain about the government, but don’t vote, then you don’t get the right to complain about the government,” Lawson added.
In a brief interview, the couple said they still find issues in common across the aisle, such as funding veteran services, affordable housing and better mental health policy.
Neither voter said they felt particularly excited by any one candidate. Johnson said incumbent Gov. Joe Lombardo was the clear choice, and that he believed the governor has delivered on his promises.
“Lombardo has a lot of experience and was true to what he wanted to do,” Johnson said. “I think it’s tough that when you have a lot of people come in saying, ‘we want to do this,” when there’s not a lot that backs that up, because they don’t have the experience. It’s hard.”
“It’s our right as citizens to vote who we want into office,” Johnson said. “This is our state, and I want our state to have our voices reflected.”
Candidate pitches tent at CSN
State Assembly candidate Val Thomason was set up bright and early outside of the student union at the College of Southern Nevada, squarely in the heart of the central Las Vegas’ Assembly District 10.
The progressive Democrat pitched a royal blue tent and sat alongside members of the Las Vegas Democratic Socialists chapter, who endorsed her instead of incumbent Democrat Venise Karris. Their other endorsement was Shaun Navarro, in nearby Assembly District 34.
Her plan later was to move around to different polling locations, namely two elementary schools, Thomason said.
Thomason said her race is an example of why participating in closed primaries is important; with no Republican challenger, a win Tuesday would secure the seat.
“It’s really important to participate in the primary, especially in Las Vegas, where it leans mostly Democratic,” Thomason said. “The important choice is the one you make in the primary for most of these races.”
It was sparse at the polling location through the morning.
“It’s tough in the primary,” Thomason said. “It’s not only a lack of participation, but a lot of it is that younger people don’t vote.”
Since her campaign launch in January, Thomason said she’s heard from voters concerned about AI data center expansion, NV Energy’s new demand charge on utility bills and the price of housing.
“We’re hearing a lot about the price of everything being really expensive right now, especially the price of housing, which continues to be a problem for people,” she said.
– Alan Halaly
‘Get it done’
Just under a dozen people were in line waiting Tuesday morning for the doors to open at the Galleria at Sunset Mall in Henderson, to be among the first to cast their vote.
At 7:03 a.m. it was announced the first voter submitted their ballot, to a small round of applause by the poll workers and few voters in attendance.
First in line at the south entrance of the mall was Henderson resident Bruce Pientka, who was doing what he does each election, getting the process done early.
“Get it done, do your civic duty and then you still got the rest of the day to do what you need to do,” Pientka said.
There were eight people in line behind Pientka as a poll workers had trouble opening the door to let people in at 7 a.m., as mall security did not yet come by to unlock the majority of the doors at the entrance closest to the polling area. A security guard eventually opened the rest of the doors at 7:30 a.m., but with the light turnout, the locked doors did not pose an issue.
After voting at the Galleria mall in years past, the 13-year Henderson resident said he wasn’t surprised by the sparse start to the line.
“I remember last year, I was here early but when I came out the line was significant just in that half-hour that it took me to vote,” Pientka said.
Over an hour after Galleria opened to voters, turnout remained light and no line had yet to form.
Originally from Georgia, Pientka said the voting process has been relatively easy in both states.
“It’s smooth,” Pientka said.
– Mick Akers
Steadily busy, slightly gusty
At the Mountain’s Edge Regional Park voting station in the southwest portion of the valley, poll workers said they’ve been steadily busy since they opened at 7 a.m. One worker said the wind has been gusty and they’re keeping an eye on it, however not an issue yet.
First-time voter Jake Fitzgerald, 18, said his experience this morning has been both “crazy and surreal.”
“My parents have always advocated for being as active as a citizen as I can,” he added. “So voting in every election whether it’s state or federal, and my dad taught history so he was always a big advocate for being as active as possible.”
Fitzgerald was then asked what can be done to get more of his generation — Gen Z — to head out to the polls and participate in the democratic process.
“Make it matter to us I guess,” he said.
Jake’s mother Jennifer said she’s really tried to instill the importance of voting in her son.
“My mom is an immigrant from Cuba and just this idea of being able to participate in a democratic society is an amazing opportunity so why let it pass.”
Mechanic David Buecker voted before heading off to work for the day at around 8:15 a.m. He said his voting experience was “pretty smooth” however has one issue with overall voter participation in local elections and primaries like today.
“I wish we had better turnout,” he said. Buecker was then asked if he had any thoughts or ideas on how to increase voter turnout in local elections. “That’s a good question, I don’t know. That’s a great question, I just know the concern, I don’t know the answer.”
– Patrick Blennerhassett
