Governor Steve Sisolak signed proposed bills that would redraw the boundaries for Nevada’s legislative, state and congressional department of education election races. Sisolak proudly signed the proposals into law following a thoughtful, productive and efficient legislative session in Nevada. As for Sisolak, the maps reflect not only Nevada’s diversity but also the public feedback collected right through the state’s legislative process.
Assemblymember Edgar Flores for Las Vegas voted against a bill, but almost everyone else in the Assembly passed it. The voting at the Assembly with a Democratic majority concluded a special legislative session over five days in the US state.
The Nevada State Senate, which the Democratic Party controls, passed a draft law. There were concerns from local minority groups that the bill could compromise the minority voting with changes to the First Congressional District. For the uninitiated, it is a Latino-heavy District with Democratic Party member Dina Titus as its representative.
There are over two times as many Democratic Party members in the district as GOP members. The realignment may make some of its voters shift to the third and fourth congressional districts, which are described as swing districts. Therefore, it is likely to favor the Democratic Party contingent in Nevada.
On November 16, 2021, the state Assembly heard from numerous Republican legislators who were against the bill.
More and more diverse groups of people have emerged in Nevada over the last decade. There is also a requirement to have unity in communities of interest and political subdivisions in Nevada. As for Republican Assemblyperson Jill Tolles, the boundaries do not typify the groups, the requirement, plus the interests of GOP members and the growing nonpartisan count across the state.
Democratic Assemblyperson Brittney Miller defended the draft law, stating that it keeps regional communities together while maintaining representation for northern and rural Nevada. Miller stated that the maps not only keep tribal groups together but also reflect the growing ethnic and racial diversity of Nevada. As per Miller, the maps also strive to expand and protect the voting rights of Hispanic and Black Nevadans, while raising representational opportunity for the growing and emerging population of the state over the next decades.
According to the Princeton Gerrymandering Project, the maps are in Democratic Party members’ favor. For instance, with the latest congressional maps, the party has an advantage in 3 out of the 4 seats. None of those is a competitive seat, which means that the Republican and Democratic percentages usually come in the 46.5% to 53.5% range. Only 3 Senate districts in Nevada are still labeled as being competitive as per the recent redistricting process. On the other hand, only 5 of the Assembly districts in Nevada are competitive.
Notwithstanding the benefits that the Democratic Party is supposed to get with the latest maps, GOP members are optimistic about winning Legislature seats.
National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Torunn Sinclair stated that all House Democrats in Nevada are vulnerable.
For instance, Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin won Virginia’s gubernatorial election race despite Joe Biden’s victory last year. Sinclair stated that Biden won the third and fourth districts of Nevada by a 7-9-point margin.