Senate takes up Nevada election reform legislation

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) -- A Senate panel began reviewing a handful of election reform bills Monday, including one establishing panels to evaluate and write about Nevada ballot questions.

The Government Affairs Committee heard testimony on nine different Assembly measures dealing with everything from terrorism-related special congressional elections to technical changes on candidate listings on ballots.

Legislation from Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, would allow the governor to call for a special congressional election in the event of a catastrophe.

Under AB344, one definition of catastrophe is a "natural or man-made event that causes a vacancy in at least one-fourth of the total number of offices in the United States House of Representatives."

AB541 may change the way voters look at a medical malpractice ballot initiative headed to next year's ballot. The bill provides that if the Legislature rejects an initiative and proposes an alternative, the lawmaker-approved proposal would be listed on the ballot before the initiative measure.

Ballots would note that the two are being presented as alternatives.

The bill also sets up a new way to distinguish candidates on a ballot who have the same or similar surnames, and specifies that candidates can't take money immediately before or after a special session.

AB528 prohibits political parties or key leaders from using voter registration lists for any non-election purpose or selling the list.

It also caps state fines against candidates for unpaid positions or candidates who got no contributions and spent no money during a campaign.

Chief Deputy Secretary of State Renee Parker told the committee that some candidates who ignored requests for finance filings chalked up over $1,500 in fines, some of which went unpaid for months. The measure would cap fines in such cases at $100.

Other more comprehensive election reforms are pending before the Legislature. SB453 requires Nevada to establish a statewide voter registration list and allow for provisional balloting. It passed the Senate but similar legislation has stalled in an Assembly committee.

The measure brings Nevada in compliance with federal law requiring each state to replace all punch-card voting systems, establish provisional balloting and build a statewide voter registration list.

The bill also extends by 10 days the time period for voter registration.