Assembly member drafts bill to move Nevada primary to September

CARSON CITY -- A newly elected Assembly member from Reno wasted no time Wednesday morning in drafting a bill to move the primary election in Nevada back to the second Tuesday in September.

"Nevadans have just been subjected to eight months of nonstop political advertising lasting longer than the Major League Baseball season," said Assemblyman-elect Pat Hickey, R-Reno.

This year's primary election was in early June after the 2008 primary in mid-August. But past primaries in Nevada always were in the first part of September.

Hickey, who is returning to the Assembly after serving in the 1997 session, said moving the primary back to September represents a return to "electioneering sanity."

He noted the more than $50 million was spent on the U.S. Senate campaign and the 2010 campaign actually began in March when candidates filed for office.

Nine other states have their primaries in early September, he said.

"Nevada voted to move the primary to June so the candidates wouldn't have to walk door-to-door in August," Hickey said.

"I'm sure Nevada voters would prefer politicians sweat a little in the summer sun rather than having to put up with a never-ending deluge of political advertisements every two years clogging their television and radio airways," he said.