Government Affairs Report – October, 2016
Be Sure to Vote on November 8!
Nevada’s General Election is just a bit over a month away. On Tuesday, November 8, Nevadans will be selecting our next President, filling a US Senate and making a choice on all four of Nevada’s members of the US House of Representatives.
Whether you are Democrat, Republican, or Independent/Non-Partisan/Green Party, etc., your vote is important. I’ve heard a lot of people say they aren’t happy with the “top of the ticket” choices (presidential race) so they plan to just skip this election. That is really unfortunate because while there may be one race that they don’t like, there are many other very important races to consider down-ticket.
Every election cycle, I always ask friends and family after the race if they voted. At least a third of the time, it seems, the response I get is, “Well, I planned to, but I got busy that day and just couldn’t make it to the polling place on time.” Or, “I was going to, but I forgot!”
Neither of those are good excuses. “I got hit by a bus.” Now that’s a good excuse.
I never know what is going to get dropped in my lap on any given day so I vote via absentee ballot and have done so for a number of years. It’s easy, it’s free, and I never feel rushed because of a long line of other people waiting to cast their ballots.
Important General Election Dates & Deadlines
Register to Vote:
Mail: Postmarked by October 8, 2016
Online: October 18, 2016
In Person: October 18, 2016
Early Voting:
Begins: October 22, 2016
Ends: November 4, 2016
Absentee Ballot:
Request: November 1, 2016
Return: November 8, 2016
On the state level, while no constitutional offices are on this year’s election ballot, there are 11 State Senate seats up for election, and all 42 of our Nevada State Assembly seats are up for vote.
NAIOP does not publicly endorse candidates, but we do meet with many candidates and support various campaigns through our PAC funds. We encourage our members to conduct research on individual candidates to identify and support those who understand and recognize the value of our industry. If you don’t know where the candidates listed on your ballot stand on issues, please do not be afraid to call them and ask. Reach out to me if you need a phone number or email for any of the candidates on your ballot.
2017 LEGISLATIVE SESSION BEGINS FEBRUARY 6, 2017
In anticipation of the 2017 Nevada Legislative Session, NAIOP has already begun tracking bill draft requests that will be of interest to our membership. To -date, nearly 450 bill draft requests have been submitted by legislators and state agencies to the Legislative Counsel Bureau for bill drafting (there will ultimately be more than 1,000). These are posted on the legislative website: 2017 BDRs
We have also reserved Tuesday, March 7, 2017 as NAIOP Day at the Legislature, where NAIOP Southern Nevada representatives will meet with legislators to discuss the importance of our industry and legislation under consideration. As we did during the 2015 Session, we have invited NAIOP Northern Nevada to join us that day to have a stronger showing, and to join us in hosting a legislative reception in Carson City that evening.
Susan L. Fisher
McDonald Carano Wilson, LLP
sfisher@mcwlaw.com
