It’s time to enter the political end-game for Nevada candidates

Forget Uber, the Clark County Democratic Party is offering free rides to its members who want to vote early this week and next, launching yet another initiative to get Nevadans to the polls to vote for the party’s candidates.

Nevada Democrats have made a science of turning voters out early to bank ballots ahead of Election Day — Nov. 4 this year — when more traditional Republicans like to vote. But Republicans are getting into the early voting act, too, with more vigor than in the past, knocking on doors and calling loyal GOP voters to remind them to pick their candidates.

Why does it matter? More than half of Nevada voters cast ballots early. That means some races can be won or lost well before Election Day.

Nick Phillips, political director of the Clark County Republican Party, said the GOP is working to erase any early voting advantage Nevada Democrats have because of years of practice, an army of union helpers and a fine-tuned organization.

“One benefit of voting early is once they do vote the vast majority of phone calls and the door knocks will stop,” said Phillips. “If you’re tired of people calling you to vote, go vote. It will stop.”

What won’t stop, however, are the back-to-back political ads on TV with candidates in the most hotly contested races — lieutenant governor, attorney general and the 3rd Congressional District this year — seeking last-minute momentum.

The candidates, too, have their own get-out-the-vote operations that identify supporters, track whether or not they have voted yet through county registrars and keep in contact by phone or in person until voters cast their ballots. The more frequently and loyally you have voted for one party or the other, the closer you will be tracked to guarantee your vote.

FAMILY TIES

“When you see somebody has voted, you take them off your target list and the number dwindles down each day,” said Robert Uithoven, adviser to Republican Adam Laxalt, who is running for attorney general. “It’s really an intense process where Election Day is every day for two and a half weeks. Early voting is so stressful.”

Jocelyn Steinberg, campaign manager for Ross Miller, the Democratic candidate for attorney general, said people on the list of partisan supporters also are asked to contact family and friends to get them to vote as well.

“It’s a full-court press,” Steinberg said. “It’s a network. Ross Miller and his family have built the strongest statewide network. They’ve been on the streets meeting Nevada voters for decades. There are people who have known Ross his whole life. It’s a face-to-face thing, reminding people to vote and to remind their friends and community.”

Miller, who is finishing his second term as secretary of state, is the son of former Gov. Bob Miller, a Democrat who held the office from 1989 to 1999, the longest-serving governor in Nevada history. His son grew up in the Governor’s Mansion in Carson City and has ambitions to follow in his father’s footsteps.

Those deep family ties give Miller an edge over Laxalt, the grandson of former Gov. and U.S. Sen. Paul Laxalt, R-Nev. The elder Laxalt retired from political life in 1987, however, so many new Nevadans aren’t familiar with his legacy. Adam Laxalt was raised in the Washington, D.C.-area by his mother, Michelle, and moved to Las Vegas only a few years ago.

Still, Laxalt has kept the race close and could score an upset, according to polls that show him within striking distance. A SurveyUSA poll taken for the Review-Journal in early October showed Miller leading Laxalt with 44 percent support compared to 39 percent, a five-point race with the margin of error of plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.

An internal poll the Laxalt campaign released recently showed a dead heat with Miller edging Laxalt 40-38, within a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. Miller’s campaign polls show him ahead outside the margin.

The race, where more than $6 million has been spent so far, including by outside groups trying to influence the outcome, is the most expensive attorney general contest in Nevada history and the most expensive state race this year.

Besides working the phones and walking precincts, the candidates and parties often hold special events to draw out voters and supporters. On Saturday, the first day of early voting, the Clark County Democratic Party hosted a barbecue and Miller held a “Rossapalooza” event in downtown Las Vegas to thank supporters.

Widely known out-of-towners also sometimes visit to gin up excitement. On Saturday, U.S. Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif., the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, was the special guest at an East Las Vegas Community Center event. Also on hand: U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev.; state Senate Majority Leader Mo Denis, D-Las Vegas; Nevada Treasurer Kate Marshall, who’s running for secretary of state; and Assemblywoman Lucy Flores, D-Las Vegas, who’s running for lieutenant governor. The party is trying to boost Hispanic voter turnout with Latinos playing a decisive role in recent elections.

THE FINISH LINE

Chris Miller, chairman of the Clark County Democratic Party who helped organize Saturday’s barbecue, said he feels like he lives in a “Democratic bubble” during the focused early-voting marathon, when every vote matters and it’s “all hands on deck.”

“I’d like to think we have the advantage with our grass-roots we have in place and the ability to move those people out to vote,” Miller said. “We’ve delivered Nevada twice for President (Barack) Obama and for Sen. (Harry) Reid back in 2010, so we know we’re doing something right.”

Reid, D-Nev., was widely expected to lose re-election four years ago, in part because his role as Senate majority leader made him a top GOP target. But thanks to the Democratic Party machine Reid built over the years, and a flawed opponent in Republican Sharron Angle, he won by 5 percentage points.

Phillips, Clark County GOP political director, said the early voting period is when elections are decided.

“It’s exhausting and exciting and a lot of hard work,” Phillips said. “It’s like the last miles of a long race. Whether you’re going to win or lose, the end is there and you have to give it your all. You can see the finish line, and then it’s done.”

Nevada Democrats start out with a registered voter advantage over Republicans of 62,036 voters, the Nevada secretary of state’s office reported Friday, providing the final pre-election totals. Voters are registering in greater numbers as nonpartisans, too, perhaps because of dissatisfaction with the main parties and Washington gridlock.

Some 19.2 percent of Nevada voters are registered as nonpartisan compared to 39.8 percent Democrats and 34.6 percent Republicans. Another 4.7 percent are members of the Independent American Party. The remaining 1.7 percent are members of the Libertarian or other minor parties.

Last-minute voter registration shows the independent trend: Between Oct. 1 and Oct. 14, Democrats registered 2,466 voters, Republicans registered 2,955 voters and nonpartisans increased by 3,202, the secretary of state’s office reported.

Voter turnout is expected to be low this year, partly because there’s no presidential or U.S. Senate race to draw people to the polls. Also, GOP Gov. Brian Sandoval faces weak Democratic opposition in Bob Goodman — who lost to “none of these candidates” in the primary — and is expected to enjoy a landslide win.

The lieutenant governor’s contest could lure more partisans to the polls, however, as Sandoval’s choice, state Sen. Mark Hutchison, R-Las Vegas, competes against Assemblywoman Flores. The winner could become governor if Sandoval steps down midterm to run for the U.S. Senate against Reid, as some Republicans would like. Sandoval also has been mentioned as a potential vice presidential candidate or could be offered a Cabinet job or federal judgeship.

Hutchison is considered the favorite, with polls suggesting the race might not be close unless Democrats do extremely well in getting out the vote for Flores and Hispanics turn out in high numbers to back the Latina candidate.

U.S. Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., is seeking a third term representing the 3rd Congressional District in Southern Nevada, covering most of Clark County, including Boulder City and Henderson. His Democratic challenger, Erin Bilbray, has struggled with little national Democratic Party help and is considered a long shot.

Early voting turnout is expected to match that of 2010, said Joe Gloria, Clark County registrar of voters.

In the 2010 midterm election, 35 percent of all registered voters in the county — 258,283 people — cast ballots during early voting. For that election cycle, the overall turnout, including Election Day and absentee voting, was 63.3 percent. That means 55 percent of all ballots cast came during early voting.

Contact Laura Myers at lmyers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919. Find her on Twitter: @lmyerslvrj.