Nevada legislative committee to promote civics has no members

CARSON CITY — A state advisory committee to promote civics and participation in democracy has no members and $51 in the bank.

But the Sunset Subcommittee of the Legislative Commission on Tuesday agreed to consider changes proposed by the secretary of state's office to try to make it easier to recruit members and keep the advisory panel relevant.

The Advisory Committee on Participatory Democracy was created in 1997 and put under the direction of the secretary of state's office in 2003 with its duties outlined in state law.

Its task was to boost voter registration to 75 percent of eligible citizens and achieve 70 percent voter turnout in the 2008 general election.

Those goals were met, elections officials said. But the committee itself has since struggled to attract members and hasn't met since 2013.

State law requires the committee to have 10 members — the secretary of state and nine members appointed by that office holder.

Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske said getting nine others to volunteer their time is challenging. Nevada law also requires the committee to meet four times annually.

Cegavske said reducing the size of the committee and relaxing the number of meetings required would make it easier to encourage participation on the participatory democracy committee.

"I think that would help us a great deal," she told members of the Sunset Subcommittee, a panel that evaluates boards and commissions to determine if they are worth retaining.

Any changes to the membership and meeting requirements would need approval from lawmakers in 2017.

Contact Sandra Chereb at schereb@reviewjournal.com or 775-461-3821. Find her on Twitter: @SandraChereb