Yesterday, voting rights groups filed a complaint against Nevada officials over the state’s failure to comply with the National Voter Registration Act, which helps make sure that low-income residents are given the opportunity to register to vote at all public assistance agencies.
The complaint was filed against Secretary of State Ross Miller and Department of Health and Human Services Director Michael Willden on behalf of the National Council of La Raza, NAACP Las Vegas, and Reno-Sparks NAACP. All plaintiffs conduct voter registration activities in the state.
Despite an increase in the state population and Nevadans’ increased reliance on public assistance, voter registration at Nevada public agencies has decreased by 95% in recent years, according to voting rights groups Project Vote, Demos, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and Dechert LLP.
“The factual allegations in the Complaint show that fault for this reduction lies with the state. The majority of clients seeking public assistance services are simply not being offered voter registration opportunities, and many public assistance agencies do not even have the voter registration forms available on request,” the groups stated in a press release today.
Because the state has failed to consistently provide voter registration services to public assistance clients, “the Plaintiffs are forced to expend resources helping to register citizens who would otherwise be registered by the state.”
The same voting rights groups have filed lawsuits over the years to force states to follow the law with dramatic improvement. For example, voter registrations from “Missouri public assistance agencies skyrocketed, from fewer than 8,000 a year to more than 130,000 a year, following settlement of a suit in that state in 2009.”
“Public assistance offices are in a unique position to increase voter registration rates among low-income citizens, the disabled and racial minorities,” said Sarah Brannon, director of the Public Agency Voter Registration Program for Project Vote. “Nevada should realize this potential and correct the inadequacies within its system.” READ MORE.