Some 2024 General Election takeaways: Bad for libraries, good for Gov. Veto • Nevada Current

The presidential election was far from the only thing being decided by Nevada voters last week. Here’s a look at some other takeaways that have emerged as the dust settled on the 2024 general.

Lombardo remains Gov. Veto

Democrats appear to have slipped further from obtaining a veto-proof supermajority, though they remain in healthy control of the Nevada State Legislature, unofficial election results show.

Going into the general election, Democrats had a supermajority in the Assembly and were one seat shy of a supermajority in the Senate.

In the Nevada State Senate, where 10 of 21 seats were up this year, the makeup will remain the same as it was going into Election Day.

Democrats successfully flipped Senate District 15. Democrat Angie Taylor, who served one term in the state Assembly, defeated Republican Mike Ginsburg for a seat formerly represented by Republican Heidi Seevers O’Gara (formerly Seevers Gansert), who opted not to run for re-election.

That gain appears to have been offset by Senate District 11. As of Monday morning, the Associated Press, which the Nevada Current uses for race projections, had not yet called the SD11 race between Democratic incumbent Dallas Harris and Republican challenger Lori Rogich. But Harris was trailing Rogich by around 850 votes.

State Sen. Carrie Buck, a Republican seen as vulnerable in competitive Senate District 5, fended off her Democratic challenger.

If current results hold, Democrats will be two seats shy of a supermajority in the upper chamber.

In the Nevada State Assembly, Republicans appear to have successfully broken the Democratic supermajority by defending their 14 seats and flipping one seat red.

Republican Rebecca Edgeworth defeated Democrat Sharifa Wahab in Assembly District 35, according to the AP. Edgeworth, who raised significantly more funding than Wahab, was part of a cadre of candidates backed by Gov. Joe Lombardo.

AD35 was previously represented by Democrat Michelle Gorelow, who opted not to run for re-election amid controversy about her ‘yes’ vote on a funding bill that benefitted a nonprofit she later took a job with.

Other competitive open seats will see new representatives but not switch parties. Republicans failed to flip Assembly District 29. There, Democrat Joe Dalia defeated Republican Annette Dawson Owens. Similarly, Democrats failed to flip Assembly District 4. There, Republican Lisa Cole defeated Democrat Ryan Hampton.

Republican Assemblywoman Heidi Kasama and Democratic Assemblywomen Elaine Marzola, Selena La Rue Hatch, and Shea Backus all successfully defended their competitive seats from challengers.

Meanwhile, Democratic Majority Floor Leader Sandra Jauregui appears to be on track to squeak out a win over Republican challenger Rafael Arroyo in Assembly District 41. The race has not been called by the AP but Jauregui is up by around 350 votes.

Jauregui’s race is one of two Assembly races the AP had not called as of Monday morning. The other, Assembly District 12, is between Democratic incumbent Max Carter and Republican challenger Nancy Roecker. Carter is up by less than 300 votes.

If current results hold, Democrats will be one seat shy of a supermajority in the Assembly.

According to Ballotpedia, Nevada is one of a dozen states with a divided government, meaning neither major political party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governorship.

Moms for Liberty headed to school board

The Clark County School Board will soon have two trustees associated with Moms for Liberty — an advocacy group known for protesting vaccine mandates, advocating against diversity equity and inclusion policies, and pushing anti-trans narratives.

Lorena Biassotti, who co-founded the Moms for Liberty Clark County chapter, and Lydia Dominguez, a former member of the chapter who left the group in the weeks before the general election, were both elected to the nonpartisan board. Both defeated former teachers — Kamilah Bywaters and Eileen Eady, respectively.

Biassotti and Dominguez will be sworn in as trustees in early January.

Joining them will be political newcomers Emily Stevens and Tameka Henry. Stevens expressed some conservative positions on educational issues like charter and private schools but is not associated with Moms for Liberty and did not campaign on cultural issues like banning books and trans athletes. Henry, a vocal critic of Moms for Liberty backed by progressive groups, ousted School Board President Evelyn Garcia Morales.

The Clark County School Board has seven voting members and four appointed members. The newly seated school board will almost immediately be thrust into the process of selecting Clark County School District’s next superintendent.

Applications for the district’s top job are being accepted until Feb. 5, according to a timeline posted by CCSD. The school board is expected to conduct its first round of interviews on Feb. 17, with semi-finalists interviewed on March 5 and the top two candidates selected on March 13.

Final interviews are scheduled for the week of March 17, with the official hiring scheduled for March 27.

Also in education…

• Biassoti and Dominguez secured victories in the general election, but a third Moms for Liberty candidate fell far short of being elected. Tim Underwood, who told the Current that his trans child’s death by suicide solidified his decision to fight trans-inclusive policies within public schools, lost to Tricia Braxton in the Nevada State Board of Education District 1.
• Danielle Ford, who served one term as a Clark County School Board trustee before losing re-election, won a seat on the State Board of Education. Ford defeated Rene Cantu in District 3. Cantu currently represents District 2 on the board but due to redistricting that took place after the last election now lives in District 3.
• Nevada Question 1, which asked voters to remove the Board of Regents from the state constitution, failed — 55% no, 45% yes.

Bad day for libraries

The Washoe County Library System is set to lose about a quarter of its current funding after voters in the county rejected a countywide ballot question there.

The library system is anticipating a $4.5 million budget cut, according to News 4, leading to the elimination of 23 staff positions, the system’s entire $1.4 million book budget, and $200,000 of the system’s technology budget in June. Libraries are likely to reduce their weekend and evening hours.

The  ‘Renew Washoe Libraries’ initiative would have continued the dedication of a small percentage of existing tax revenue to public libraries. The failure of the ballot question will not decrease what residents pay, it will simply de-obligate the money to be spent elsewhere.

The shortfall and cuts could be offset by the Washoe County Commission in its general fund budget. An online petition calling for just that is already being circulated.

Meanwhile, voters in Henderson rejected Henderson Library District Question Num. 1, which would have raised property taxes by 2 cents per $100,000 of assessed value to be used to operate and maintain libraries, as well as to build new facilities in newly developed areas of the city.

Henderson residents also rejected additional funding for firefighters.

No, yes, no, yes, yes, yes, yes

Nevada Question 3, which would have switched the state to an open primary/ranked choice system of voting, received more total votes than any of the other six statewide ballot questions, according to unofficial vote totals as of Monday morning.

This year, Question 3, which failed, was the most voted-on ballot measure, receiving more total votes than other high-profile questions on voter identification requirements and abortion rights. Question 3 received 1.372 million total votes, about 3,000 more than Question 7, the voter ID measure which passed and received 1.369 million total votes.

The Nevada State Republican Party took strong positions on both questions, opposing Question 3 and supporting Question 7.

Question 6, which proposes enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution and passed, received the third most total votes. Voters will have to approve it again in 2026 before it becomes part of the constitution.

Question 1, which sought to remove the Board of Regents from the state constitution, failed. The question, which was criticized for being confusing to voters, received the fewest number of total votes. About 55,500 fewer people voted on Question 1 than Question 3.

The remaining three ballot questions — two on removing antiquated language from the state constitution and one exempting diapers from sales tax — all passed.

Voters are not required to weigh in on every race or ballot measure, and many voters opt not to. For comparison, Nevada’s presidential race saw approximately 68,600 more total votes than the most voted-on ballot question.

Every vote matters

Only 63 votes separate incumbent North Las Vegas City Councilwoman Ruth Anderson Garcia and her challenger Robert “Twixx” Taylor in the nonpartisan race, according to unofficial election results posted by the state. That’s equivalent to about one third of 1 percent of votes.

That North Las Vegas City Council race appears to be the closest among this year’s municipal elections. However, it is larger than the 15-vote difference that separated two candidates in the nonpartisan Reno City Council Ward 1 primary earlier this year.

Nevada does not have automatic recounts, no matter how close the election results. Recounts must be requested and paid for by the candidate. They rarely, if ever, result in election results being reversed.