CARSON CITY – Democrats continued to outpace their Republican counterparts in voter registration efforts in July, the Secretary of State’s office reported this week.
Democrats registered 8,121 active voters, while Republicans registered 3,705 active voters. Active registered nonpartisans increased by 4,946 during the same time period.
Of the 1,096,782 active registered voters statewide, 41.1 percent, or 451,066, are Democrats, 36.7 percent, or 402,471, are Republicans, and 16.5 percent, or 180,366, are nonpartisans. The remainder belong to minor parties.
The new numbers come as the Nevada Republican Party announced last week it is getting $166,000 from the Republican National Committee to intensify the party’s registration efforts ahead of the November general election.
The latest voter registration totals, released Thursday, also show that five critical state Senate Districts up for grabs in November remain split, with three continuing to favor Democrats and two continuing to favor Republicans.
But Democrats have gained some ground in terms of actual active voter totals in all five when compared to the numbers as of the close or registration for the June primary. The same trend is seen when the July numbers are compared to voter totals as of the end of March.
Nonpartisan voter registrations have also been on the increase in the five districts, however, both in terms of raw numbers and as a percentage of total voters from the primary through July. Nonpartisan voters, who will play a significant role in each of the races, range from a high of 19.4 percent in Senate 9 to a low of 15.8 percent in Senate 6.
Democrats now have an 11-10 edge in the state Senate, and Republicans are trying to take control for the 2013 session. Republicans need to win four of the five seats to take an 11-10 majority. Four of the five seats in play are in Southern Nevada, and the fifth is in Reno.
In Senate District 5, where Republican and former Henderson city councilman Steve Kirk is facing Democrat and former state Sen. Joyce Woodhouse, Democrats have added to their registration edge. Democrats had a 1,680-voter advantage at the close of registration for the June primary and a 1,944-voter advantage as of the end of July. Democrats represent 40.3 percent of active voters in the district compared to 36.9 percent for Republicans.
In Senate District 6, where GOP attorney Mark Hutchison faces Democrat Benny Yerushalmi, Democrats had a 1,890-voter advantage at the primary and now lead by 2,386. Democrats have 41.6 percent of active voters in the district compared to 37.5 percent for Republicans.
In Senate District 9, where Republican Mari Nakashima St. Martin faces Democrat Justin Jones, Democrats have improved their advantage from 1,917 voters at the primary to 2,354 at the end of July. Democrats have 39.8 percent of voters compared to 34.7 percent for the GOP.
In Senate District 18, where Republican Assemblyman Scott Hammond faces Democrat Kelli Ross, Republicans have seen their 1,653-voter edge as of the primary decline to 1,438 as of the end of July. Republicans have 40.2 percent of the voters compared to 37.7 percent for Democrats.
In the Reno race in Senate District 15 between Sen. Greg Brower, R-Reno, and former state Sen. Sheila Leslie, D-Reno, Democrats have gained some modest ground as well, from a 1,404 GOP edge as of the primary to 1,349 as of the end of July. Republicans have 39.8 percent of voters to 37.9 percent for Democrats.
Secretary of State Ross Miller also announced that online voter registration is now available in all but two counties, Carson City and Douglas.
