A weeklong effort to register Nevada voters who work in the private sector is scheduled next week.
The nonprofit, nonpartisan Nevada Prosperity Project is spearheading the voter registration drive.
Among the organizations that will be in the forefront of the registration drive are ITS Logistics, Concours Body Shop, Moxie Java, Fundis Trucking Co., the Nevada Motor Transport Association and the Reno/Sparks Chamber of Commerce.
Stephanie Herrera, director of the Nevada Prosperity Project, said the organization wants workers in the private sector to understand how government actions affect their employment.
"People need to know that their jobs are at stake every time proposals are put forth," she said. "If business can't afford to stay here, neither can the jobs."
Along with voter registration materials, the Nevada Prosperity Project maintains a record of voting records by state lawmakers. It's at www.nevadaprosperity.org.
Ray Bacon, executive director of the Nevada Manufacturers Association, said political involvement by businesses and their employees is particularly critical as the state government looks for ways to close its budget gap.
"The state budget is stretched, our Assembly has a majority of anti-business representatives and they need to find more money," Bacon said. "Since business often stays away from the table, it has become an easy mark."
The Nevada Prosperity Project is part of a network of similar organizations in more than half the states. While each state organization is separate, the Prosperity Project was developed by the Business Industry Political Action Committee headquartered in Washington, D.C.
About 200 companies, a majority of them in the northern part of the state, have signed on with the Nevada Prosperity Project.
