Democrats add to voter rolls

The latest statewide voter registration numbers are in, and if you've been following this story in recent months, it's no surprise: Democrats again gained ground.

According to the secretary of state's office, 55,560 more Democrats than Republicans are on the active voter rolls in Nevada, as of the end of June. The gap widened from 50,020 in May and represents 5 percent of the 1,031,984 active voters.

From April to May, the gap had narrowed slightly, leading Republicans to crow that they were finally starting to catch up. Democrats contended it was a one-time fluke, the result of Clark County, the state's Democratic bastion, moving thousands of voters to inactive status.

It looks like the Democrats were right, Zac Moyle, executive director of the Nevada Republican Party, acknowledged ruefully.

"We have programs on the ground. We've been working very hard to spread the Republican message and register voters," he said. "We're disappointed by the numbers. We'd like to see an improvement. We have a few more months to do that, and that's what we're going to try to do."

Kirsten Searer, deputy executive director of the Nevada Democratic Party, noted that at this point in the last presidential election cycle, June 2004, Republicans had a 1 percent edge in voter registration.

"That's a 6-point shift in just one presidential cycle," she said. "I think it's fair to say this is a trend at this point. It's very good news for Democrats up and down the ballot, from Assembly and Senate all the way to Congress."

Saturday is the deadline to register to vote by mail. Eligible voters have until Oct. 4 to register to vote in the general election. In each case, there is a 10-day window past the deadline when you can still register by going to the Election Department in person.

FOR AND AGAINST

Doesn't anyone oppose raising the room tax?

While plenty of activists, politicians and corporate titans have spoken out against the idea of raising the tax on hotel rooms and putting the money toward education in the state budget, no one has come forward to write arguments against the advisory question that is to appear on the ballot in Clark County in November.

Clark County Registrar of Voters Larry Lomax said last week he has plenty of applicants to write the arguments in favor of the question, but no volunteers for the other side. The deadline is Tuesday.

The question is the result of a deal struck by the teachers union with a couple of casino companies and the backing of Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley to head off a planned constitutional amendment ballot initiative that would have raised gaming taxes.

With the gaming industry split and politicians leery, it's far from clear the Legislature will enact the proposed compromise.

The county commission is charged with reviewing applications and selecting three-person committees to write arguments for and against a ballot question. The arguments are included with the sample ballots sent to voters.

Volunteers can download the application form at the Election Department Web site, www.accessclarkcounty.com/depts/election/, or request a copy by calling 702-455-2784.

DIRECTING OBAMA

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's campaign has hired a state director for Nevada, the campaign announced last week.

Terence Tolbert was touted in a news release by campaign manager David Plouffe as having "years of organizing experience."

Tolbert has worked on campaigns for Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the presidential bids of Al Gore and John Edwards, and as the Nevada director of America Coming Together, the George Soros-backed liberal group that was heavily involved in the 2004 election.

Tolbert will be leaving a position in the New York City Department of Education to take the campaign job.

"Our priority is expanding our strong grass-roots movement for change across Nevada, from rural communities to urban centers," Tolbert said in the news release.

Republican John McCain's Nevada campaign already had a state director in place. Idaho native Vaughn Ward is a Marine Corps veteran who has also worked for former Idaho Sen. Dirk Kempthorne and served in the CIA.

SPEAKING OF LIBERTY

The Conservative Leadership Conference, conservative activist Chuck Muth's get-together for the libertarian-minded, is coming to Las Vegas this year, and Muth is expecting a crowd.

Last year was the first CLC, and Muth was surprised at how well the Reno gathering went. Speakers included Mitt Romney, who was running for president at the time, and about 500 people registered.

"We were lucky as all hell last year to get the kind of speakers we got for a first-time event," Muth said recently. "That wouldn't have happened without the support of Grover Norquist, who is so well known, or John Shadegg."

Norquist is the Washington power broker and president of Americans for Tax Reform. Shadegg is a Republican member of Congress from Arizona.

"The conservative community knows he's one of the remaining Republicans in Congress who's a true believer," Muth said of Shadegg.

Speakers confirmed so far include Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party's presidential nominee. Also on the roster are Alan Keyes, the Club for Growth's Pat Toomey and conservative organizer Richard Viguerie.

Ron Paul recently declined Muth's invitation. Mitt Romney and John McCain are among the invitees about whom Muth is hopeful; he's less sanguine about the invites extended to Ralph Nader and Barack Obama.

This year, he said, he's aiming to have fewer speakers so each can be heard longer.

"We learned that we didn't need 63 speakers," he said. "Also, there were not enough bathroom breaks."

The conference is scheduled for Sept. 18 to 21 at the Tuscany Suites.

Contact reporter Molly Ball at mball @reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919.