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Lawmakers in Nevada passed legislation on Monday that would position the state to be the first to hold a presidential primary in the 2024 election season.
The bill passed the State Assembly last week in a 30-11 vote, and the State Senate on Monday in a 15-6 vote. This new legislation proposes changing Nevada's process from a caucus to a primary, and moves the date earlier than New Hampshire and Iowa's contests. This would make Nevada the first state in the nation to hold a presidential primary.
The bill will now go to Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak's desk to be signed or vetoed. But Nevada will still need more than the Governor's signature to secure the first spot on the nation's primary calendar. The nation's political parties will need to back the change in order for it to stick, though.
So far the move to change the first presidential test from Iowa to Nevada seems to come from a backstage lobbying campaign driven by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, according to The Associated Press.
Reid and other Nevada Democrats are reportedly looking to take advantage of the country's widespread dissatisfaction with the Iowa caucus to position their state as a better alternative. The argument includes removing the partisan idea of party-run caucuses with state-run primaries. Nixing in-person caucuses also helps remove barriers to voting.
Nevada Democrats are also arguing that Nevada's diversity is a better representation of the country's population than Iowa and New Hampshire.
"It's time for Nevada to take its rightful place, not just first in the West but in the nation, as a diverse state, a state with diverse issues," said Nevada Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson, a Democrat who sponsored the legislation.
Emily Persaud-Zamora, director of Silver State Voices, a Nevada voting advocacy group, said "New Hampshire and Iowa are not really reflections of our entire country, and that "Presidential candidates should look at Nevada as the example of what they should be doing and who they should be talking to."
Sisolak has not expressly said whether or not he will sign the bill, but he has been generally supportive of moving away from the caucus system. He believes caucusing "has fundamental challenges that create obstacles for too many Nevadans to participate and make their voices heard," his spokeswoman, Meghin Delaney, said in a statement. He also "believes Nevada is perfectly positioned as a diverse and representative state to be first in the nation's presidential nominating process."
There is no word yet on whether or not the Democratic National Committee will back Nevada's change should Sisolak sign the bill into law. Without DNC backing, Nevada will have to amend its legislation or risk losing delegates.
Nevada Republican Party Chairman Michael McDonald does not back the bill. He argued in a statement of opposition that changing the caucus would "diminish" Nevada's "large influence" on the nominating process.
Newsweek has reached out to Gov. Sisolak for comment.
