The Spectrum presents our …

2020 Progressive Voter Guide

Every race, every question, all 60 judicial!

Edited by ROB SCHLEGEL
Publisher, Las Vegas Spectrum


This is perhaps the most important, the most crucial election of our lifetime. We are at a crossroad of whether our democracy and our republic form of government survives. Not only the fiercely contested battle for the presidency, but also for control of the US Senate and the continued control of the House.

Every election determines our country’s future, but 2020 will determine if our democratic form of government continues or devolves into chaos. With the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the future of LGBTQ+ rights at the Supreme Court are threatened like never before. A Joe Biden presidency and nomination would restore faith in this institution.

The current Republican party has given up any moral right to hold office in the Senate. They have caved to an immoral, unethical man in the White House. This has cost us our respect on the world stage, has nearly plunged us into nuclear war, he sold us out to the Russians, has tried to steal the election and his ineptness and callous disregard for life, has cost us over 200,000 deaths from the coronavirus. Tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands more will die, all because he’s too idiotic, too self-serving to act and because we can’t get him out any sooner than Jan. 20, 2021.

It is incumbent on each and everyone of us to vote, but also to get our friends and family to vote and vote wisely. While we have no Senate races open in Nevada, each of us needs to reach out to family and friends in other states that do. We must take solid control of the Senate. We must defeat Trump and we must retain control of the House.

To that end, as we have done nearly every election since 1996, a group of progressive, civic-minded individuals, has prepared this endorsement guide. This guide started in the Las Vegas Bugle, continued in the Las Vegas Night Beat and continues today, in the Las Vegas Spectrum. These are not my picks, but are chosen by a group of persons, whose combined knowledge is far, far greater than mine, or anyone of us, individually.

Our picks are carefully considered, based on progressive values, including LGBTQIA+ equality, civil rights, human rights and a wide range of social justice issues. We have supported a living wage, bail reform that no longer penalizes the poor and lets the wealthy escape justice. We support an end to the death penalty, fair defense of the indigent, health care as a human right, sick pay leave, comprehensive immigration reform and an end to gerrymandering and voter suppression.

Who would have known a year ago how important sick pay leave and universal health care would be?

People who became ill with COVID-19 came to work and infected others. When jobs ended, so did their employer-sponsored health care. Who would have known four years ago that we would be separating families at the border, tearing families apart, losing their parents and caging thousands of children as if they were dogs and our country was running a filthy puppy mill?

If you have any humanity, it is your moral obligation to vote this year. Please consider using our guide. Together we can bring about change.

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Spectrum LGBTQ+ | Progressive endorsements


CANDIDATES WHO DESERVE YOUR VOTE

United States President / Vice President
Biden, Joseph/Harris, Kamala (D)
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have spent their careers protecting the rights of the LGBTQ community. Biden got Obama to support marriage equality and Harris performed California’s first marriage of a gay couple. They will address the pandemic from a scientific perspective.
Trump, Donald/Pence Michael (R)
Appointing ambassadors who are gay will not hide this administration’s policy failures and attacks on the LGBTQ+ community.

United States Congress District 1
Titus, Dina (D)
Dina Titus has always supported the LGBTQ+ community and we support her!
Bentley, Joyce (R)

United States Congress District 3
Lee, Susie (D)
From education, to business, to LGBTQ+ rights, Suzie Lee has been a champion. She’ll show Dan what losing looks like.
Dan “Big Dan” (R)

United States Congress District 4
Horsford, Steven (D)
Horsford has stood up for LGBTQ+ rights every time he’s voted. Let’s make sure he stays in Congress!
Marchant, Jim (R)

State Senate District 1
Spearman, Patricia “Pat” (D)
She’s so well-liked, it’s no wonder no one ran against her. It’ll take one vote to re-elect her. Make it your vote.

State Senate District 3
Brooks, Chris (D)
Uncontested. Extremely sharp and knowledgeable. One vote elects him. Be the one.

State Senate District 4
Neal, Dina (D)
Uncontested. One vote elects her. Be the one.
Hickman, Esper M. (R)

State Senate District 5
Watson, Kristee (D)
Education literacy advocate, family-run small business co-owner, stockbroker.
Buck, Carrie Ann (R)

State Senate District 6
Cannizzaro, Nicole Jeanette (D)
Consistent advocate and ally for the LGBTQ+ community. She needs to work on social justice issues and listen to her constituents and not the District Attorney. This is a critical race, so please support her.
Becker, April (R)

State Senate District 7
Lange, Roberta (D)
Former county and state Democratic chair. Won her three-way primary. Congrats!

State Senate District 11
Harris, Dallas (D)
Quick learner, very smart and progressive. She was appointed when Aaron Ford was elected Nevada Attorney General.
Dowden, Joshua (R)

State Senate District 18
Becker, Liz (D)
She’s with Moms Demand Action on corralling the gun crazies. Background as an environmentalist.
Hammond, Scott T. (R)

State Senate District 19
Goicoechea, Pete (R)
A good guy for a Republican. Will fully consider the issues. We never want an Independent American Party elected to anything. No Democrat running in this race.
Seeback, Tiffany “Gholson” (IAP)
This is the party of hate. Never, ever vote for an Independent American. Party. They’re nuts.

State Assembly Dist. 1
Monroe-Moreno, Daniele (D)
Uncontested. One vote elects her. Be the one.

State Assembly Dist. 2
Kunnel, Radhika “RPK” (D)
Biologist, actually understands that science matters. Finally, some medical smarts in Carson City. Just graduated from Boyd Law School and would be the second S. Asian if elected.
Kasama, Heidi (R)

State Assembly Dist. 3
Torres, Selena (D)
Uncontested. One vote elects her. Be the one.

State Assembly Dist. 4
Munk, Connie (D)
Republican leaning district so this is a tough race. She really needs YOUR vote because we really need HER vote.
McArthur, Richard (R)

State Assembly Dist. 5
Miller Brittney (D)
School teacher, voted correctly on liability bill. GOP is trying to fool you with two “Millers” so don’t get confused.
Miller, Mack (R)
Not good on any of our issues. Claims to be a Veteran but neglects to say he went AWOL.

State Assembly Dist. 6
Summers-Armstrong, Shondra (D)
Smart, SEIU leadership. Will be good on our issues.
Duncan, Katie (R)
Nice woman, but a little clueless.

State Assembly Dist. 7
Miller, Cameron “C.H.” (D)
Smart as a whip. Has testified at the county on a few bills and was so impressive, several commissioners suggested he run for office. He did.
Palmer, Anthony “Tony” (R)

State Assembly Dist. 8
Frierson, Jason (D)
Is Speaker of the Assembly, now works in the Public Defender’s office. Not great on social issues but we need to keep him. Far better than the alternative but he shouldn’t take our support for granted. Imperative to re-elect him.
Facey, Edward “Eddie” (R)

State Assembly Dist. 9
Yeager, Steve (D)
His importance is in keeping a D majority in Assembly but skip the donut jokes and pay more attention to social justice issues.
Altman, Barbara (R)

State Assembly Dist. 10
Nguyen, Rochelle (D)
Very progressive, willing to speak up and say something if she doesn’t agree. Smart, former public defender. Understands issues faced by folks with lower income. Wants to co-sponsor modernized HIV laws.
Hisgen, Chris (R)

State Assembly Dist. 11
Duran, Beatrice A. (D)
Appointed by the County Commission for Olivia Diaz’ seat. A bit quiet but doing great job.
Krattiger, Eric (R)

State Assembly Dist. 12
Martinez, Susan (D)
Tough but smooth fighter. You want her on your side.
Graves, Jeremy A (R)

State Assembly Dist. 13
Roberts, Tom (R)
Uncontested race. He’s a good guy. Has crossed party lines on occasion to do what is right. A retired assistant sheriff.

State Assembly Dist. 14
Carlton, Maggie (D)
Her last session. We’ll miss her as she is tough on state budgets and knows her stuff.
Wayerski, Robert (R)

State Assembly Dist. 15
Watts, Howard (D)
An environmentalist, wickedly smart, good guy. Great on our issues.
Vaughan, Stan (R)

State Assembly Dist. 16
González, Cecelia (D)
First time running, she beat the three men in the primary. Worked for Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada. Knows our issues.
Sajdak, Reyna “Alex” (R)

State Assembly Dist. 17
Thomas, Clara “Claire” (D)
An AF veteran, Emerge graduate, SEIU member, and endorsed by the Nevada Black Legislative Caucus. Extensive non-profit work.
Polcyn, Jack (R)

State Assembly Dist. 18
Considine, Venicia (D)
Love her! Attorney who works for Legal Aid of Southern Nevada.
Florian, Heather Ann (R)

State Assembly Dist. 19
Black, Ann “Annie” (R)
Conservative. Ran against the incumbent GOP and clobbered him for not being conservative enough.

State Assembly Dist. 20
Orentlicher, David (D)
Uncontested. Boyd Law School professor, MD and JD. Previously served in the Indiana legislature. Will do a fine job. Former ACLU board member. Be the one vote to elect him.

State Assembly Dist. 21
Marzola, Elaine (D)
Worked for Safe Nest, which seems like great credentials. Daughter of immigrants.
Arrington, Cherlyn (R)

State Assembly Dist. 22
Hardy, Melissa (R)

State Assembly Dist. 23
Foutz, Brent (D)
Florian, Heather Ann (R)
Love her! Attorney who works for Legal Aid of Southern Nevada.

State Assembly Dist. 28
Flores, Edgar (D)
Smart and compassionate. Voted correctly against the liability bill. Does lots of pro-bono work in the Latin community. Continues to be a strong fighter for social justice.
Bousley, Natasha L

State Assembly Dist. 29
Cohen, Lesley Elizabeth (D)
Tough race. This is a swing district and we need this bright, caring woman in Carson City. Get your neighbors to vote for her.
Delisle, Steven E. (R)
Goes door-to-door with no mask. He’s a Trump anti-masker and you can’t fix stupid.

State Assembly Dist. 34
Bilbray-Axelrod, Shannon (D)
Great on our issues.
Carlson, Jay Thomas (R)

State Assembly Dist. 35
Gorelow, Michelle (D)
Very thoughtful. Does her homework.
Calhoun, Jay (R)

State Assembly Dist. 36
Hafen, II, Gregory T. (R) (uncontested)
A good guy. We’re glad to have him.

State Assembly Dist. 37
Backus, Shea (D)
This is a swing district. She’s a quick study but needs to push more of her progressive values. Ask your neighbors to join in voting for her. It’s a tough race.
Matthews, Andy (R)

State Assembly Dist. 41
Jauregui, Sandra (D)
A survivor of the shooting at Harvest Festival. Sponsored Ballot Question #2, our Marriage Equality Amendment that we want everyone to vote for. Has an opportunity to be a progressive leader.
Smith, Erika (R)

State Assembly Dist. 42
Assefa, Alexander (D)
Up and coming, smart guy, help organize the Ethiopian cab drivers.
DaCosta, Victoria K. (IA)
This is the party of hate. Never, ever vote for an Independent American. They’re nuts.
Zaidi,Sayed “SM” (No party)

County Commissioner, District A
Naft, Michael (D)
Formerly worked for Dina Titus and Chris Giunchigliani Anyone who can work for both of them, can’t be half bad.
Thomas, Michael (R)

County Commissioner, District B
Kirkpatrick, Marilyn (D)
Chair of the County Commission, great work ethic, progressive on our issues. “A real ally, one who gets sh*t done, unlike the guys.” This woman, who literally clawed her way up after getting every obstacle life could throw in her way, is a great mom, grandmother and literally takes care of everyone. She was always an active mom, active with the PTA, excellent on our issues. If you want “your mom” advocating on your behalf, be sure you live in Commission District B. Thanks Mom!”
Markowitz, Warren R. IA
This is the party of hate. Never, ever vote for an Independent American. They’re nuts..
Williams,Kevin M. (R)

County Commissioner, District C
Miller, Ross (D)
Did a great job as Secretary of State. Proved that he’s solid on our issues.
Anthony, Stavros (R)
A tRumpster and if you want him, find him on the golf course. Has over $600,000 to spend in this race and horrible on our issues.

County Commissioner, District D
Mccurdy, II, William (D)
Capable and smart on his own. Needs to be careful of lobbyists at the Commission.
Washington, David L (No party)
Former Las Vegas Fire Chief.

Justice Of Supreme Court, Seat B
None of these Candidates
Rarely our choice, but this time …
Pickering, Kristina
She won her primary. The Supreme Court has an opportunity to actually consider equal justice issues and we hope she learns to lead.

Justice Of Supreme Court, Seat D
Fumo, Ozzie
He’ll be temperamentally better at the job. He will bring transparency, light and a legal acumen to the court.
Herndon, Douglas
Not only did he send an innocent gay man to prison for 20 years, he neglected to share exculpatory information with the defense.
None of these Candidates

Court Of Appeals Judge, Dept. 3
Bulla, Bonnie
Both are well qualified. Bonnie rose to the occasion on many thankless jobs, so we’re sticking with her.
Bush, Susan
None of these Candidates

District Court Judge, Dept. 1
Yeager, Bita “Marie”
Great job starting the NLV mental health court. We’re impressed. Understands social justice issues.
Villani, Jacob

District Court Judge, Dept. 2
Kierny, Carli Lynn
Public Defender. That’s all you need to know. Let’s go with her.
Scotti, Richard
A train wreck and should NOT be retained

District Court Judge, Dept. 3
Trujillo, Monica
An EMERGE graduate. Understands social justice issues.
Ganz, Adam

District Court Judge, Dept. 4
Krall, Nadia
We’ve reconsidered from the primary and believe Nadia is the better choice.
Aurbach, Phil

District Court Judge, Dept. 5
Barisich, Veronica
Again, we’ve reconsidered from the primary, which is what should be done when new information is considered. Let’s go with Veronica.
Coffing, Terry

District Court Judge, Dept. 6
Leventhal, Todd M.
A defense attorney, understands social justice and can be fair.
Bluth, Jacqueline
Former DA, husband is a cop. We don’t need more folks from the prosecution side on the bench.

District Court Judge, Dept. 7
Bell, Linda Marie
Uncontested. One vote elects her. Be the one.

District Court Judge, Dept. 8
Peterson, Jessica K.
Well rounded civil law practitioner who will do well with either civil or criminal dockets, in a thoughtful, progressive way.
Atkin, Trevor

District Court Judge, Dept. 9
Silva, Cristina, D
Uncontested. One vote elects her. Be the one.

District Court Judge, Dept. 10
Jones,Tierra D.
Uncontested. One vote elects her. Be the one.

District Court Judge, Dept. 11
Gonzalez, Elizabeth “Betsy”
Uncontested. One vote elects her. Be the one.

District Court Judge, Dept. 12
Leavitt, Michelle
Uncontested. One vote elects her. Be the one.

District Court Judge, Dept. 13
Denton, Mark
Uncontested. One vote elects him. Be the one.

District Court Judge, Dept. 14
Escobar, Adriana
Uncontested. One vote elects her. Be the one.

District Court Judge, Dept. 15
Hardy, Jr., Joe
He won his primary and we’re good with this guy. Congrats.

District Court Judge, Dept. 16
Williams, Tim
Uncontested. One vote elects him. Be the one.

District Court Judge, Dept. 17
Albertson, Anna
A great background, good on people issues, up and coming.
Villani, Michael

District Court Judge, Dept. 18
Hunt, John A
Understands social justice issues. Will make a great judge.
Holthus, Mary Kay

District Court Judge, Dept. 19
Eller, Crystal
Not great but better than Bill Kephart.
Kephart, William “Bill”
Homophobic redneck. Guilty of not sharing exculpatory evidence.

District Court Judge, Dept. 20
Hooker, Dawn Allysa
She’s not Eric Johnson.
Johnson, Eric
Supported privatizing schools, which is a way to take public school dollars away and support private, usually church-run schools

District Court Judge, Dept. 21
Clark Newberry, Tara
She lives social justice issues. PLU. Emphathic – it’s what’s missing on the bench.
Reynolds, Jacob

District Court Judge, Dept. 22
Nadig, Ben
Values equal treatment for all. Has been a leader in promoting bail reform to stop penali- zing poor people and rewarding the wealthy.
Johnson, Susan Holland

District Court Judge, Dept. 23
Lilly-Spells, Jasmin
Public Defender and supportive on our issues. Will add diversity to our courts.
Armstrong, Karl W.

District Court Judge, Dept. 24
Ballou, Erika, D.
A public defender, did a great job and will kick ass. Will add diversity to the court.
Gilliam, Dan

District Court Judge, Dept. 25
Delaney, Kathleen E.
Uncontested. One vote elects her. Be the one..

District Court Judge, Dept. 26
Sturman, Gloria J.
Uncontested. One vote elects her. Be the one.

District Court Judge, Dept. 27
Allf, Nancy L.
Uncontested. One vote elects her. Be the one.

District Court Judge, Dept. 28
Israel Ron
Uncontested. One vote elects him. Be the one.

District Court Judge, Dept. 29
López-Negrete, David
Great guy. His creds for social justice are everywhere.
Jones, David M.

District Court Judge, Dept. 30
Wiese, Jerry A.
Uncontested. One vote elects him. Be the one.

District Court Judge, Dept. 31
Kishner, Joanna S.
Hands down, the progressive, experienced choice.

District Court Judge, Dept. 32
Craig, Christy
She’s progressive, great on our issues and her opponent is not. She also has two moms. Ask your friends to vote for her!
Bare, Rob

Dist. Court Judge, Fam. Div., Dept. A
Voy, William
Uncontested. One vote elects him. Be the one.

Dist. Court Judge, Fam. Div., Dept. B
Marquis, Linda
Uncontested. One vote elects her. Be the one.

Dist. Court Judge, Fam. Div., Dept. C
Burton, Rebecca L.
Uncontested. One vote elects her. Be the one.

Dist. Court Judge, Fam. Div., Dept. D
Teuton, Bob
Uncontested. One vote elects him. Be the one.

Dist. Court Judge, Fam. Div., Dept. E
Hoskin, Charles J. “Chuck”
Well liked, endorsed by both unions and law enforcement.
Kurtz, Thomas G.
Pro Trump, anti-science, anti-mask, promotes QAnon crazy stuff, insults women. Bad news.

Dist. Court Judge, Fam. Div., Dept. F
Gentile, Denise
Uncontested. One vote elects her. Be the one.

Dist. Court Judge, Fam. Div., Dept. G
Forsberg, Rhonda K.
Appointed, has experience. Her opponent was a DA and we don’t need more of those on the bench.
Childs, Sr., Benjamin Boone

Dist. Court Judge, Fam. Div., Dept. H
Ritchie, Art
Uncontested. One vote elects him. Be the one.

Dist. Court Judge, Fam. Div., Dept. I
Bailey, Soonhee “Sunny”
An EMERGE graduate, great public defender, author and smart!
Tobler, Michelle O.

Dist. Court Judge, Fam. Div., Dept. J
Butler, Dedree “Dee”
Great background as public defender so she understands family dynamics which often involve issues from other courts.
MacDonald, J. Scott

Dist. Court Judge, Fam. Div., Dept. K
Giuliani, Cynthia N.
Uncontested. One vote elects her. Be the one.

Dist. Court Judge, Fam. Div., Dept. L
Gibson, Jr., David
Uncontested. One vote elects him. Be the one.

Dist. Court Judge, Fam. Div., Dept. M
Mastin, Amy M.
Both are great. Amy was a hearing master for truancy court and worked in the DA’s office on domestic violence.
Hughes, Lynn

Dist. Court Judge, Fam. Div., Dept. N
Harter, Mathew
Uncontested. One vote elects him. Be the one.

Dist. Court Judge, Fam. Div., Dept. O
Sullivan, Frank P
Uncontested. One vote elects him. Be the one.

Dist. Court Judge, Fam. Div., Dept. P
Dayani, Sara
Sara Dayani has devoted her legal career to family law. Sara has the temperament, knowledge and experience to be elected
Perry, Mary
Oops. We changed our mind.

Dist. Court Judge, Fam. Div., Dept. Q
Duckworth, Bryce C.
Uncontested. One vote elects him. Be the one.

Dist. Court Judge, Fam. Div., Dept. R
Henderson, Bill
Uncontested. One vote elects him. Be the one.

Dist. Court Judge, Fam. Div., Dept. T
Cutter, Nadin
What progressive endorsement doesn’t she have? Ours? She just got it! The best choice, by far.
Stoffel, Jason
A lot of conservatives are tied into this guy, which worries us.

Dist. Court Judge, Fam. Div., Dept. U
Throne, Dawn
She’s been practicing family law for years and won’t have a learning curve. She’s our choice.
Gonzalez, Bill
Nice gentleman, but too conservative.

Dist. Court Judge, Fam. Div., Dept. V
Pickard,Margaret E.

Dist. Court Judge, Fam. Div., Dept. W
Rincon White, Adriana
Truancy hearing officer, one of the first advocates for special ed kids, speaks Spanish, worked at Legal Aid of SN. Great choice for diversity on our court.
Rocheleau, Stacy Michelle
Has been doing family law for a long time, president of the S. NV Association of Attorneys

Dist. Court Judge, Fam. Div., Dept. X
Davis, Jim
Practices law in family court, longtime Lambda Chamber member, man of integrity, knows our issues and will bring diversity to family court
Almase, Heidi

Dist. Court Judge, Fam. Div., Dept. Y
Charter, Stephanie
Uncontested. One vote elects her. Be the one.

Dist. Court Judge, Fam. Div., Dept. Z
Perez, Romeo
Practices law in family court, great guy, listens and brings diversity to the court.
Mercer, Michele “Shell”

Regent, State University Dist. 2
Tarkanian, Lois D
Go with Lois. Her breadth of experience in education and public service make her a better choice.
Whipple, Bret R.

Regent, State University Dist. 3
Nigam, Swadeep
A Republican but supported by school teachers and University Faculty Alliance. Will bring diversity to the Board of Regents.
Brooks Byron

Regent, State University Dist. 5
Spirtos, Nick “Doc”
Good on our issues but may be difficult to work with on board.
Boyland, Patrick

Member, State Board of Ed., Dist. 1
Casino, Angelo
NSEA endorsed Angelo. Good enough for us.
Hughes, Tim

Member, State Board of Ed., Dist. 4
Newburn, Mark
The incumbent and was good on gender and diversity regulations to implement SB-225
Cantu, Rene

Trustee, Clark County School Dist. A
Guzman, Lisa
A teacher, supported by the NSEA and by most parents. This will bring more diversity to the board.
Leavitt, Liberty
As a trustee, she will NOT stand up for any gender diversity issues.

Late note from the editor: Liberty Leavitt has many LGBTQ friends but has poor judgement. Look who she is married to. Her husband is Michael Roberson (R) who voted against every single piece of positive LGBTQ legislation while in the NV State Senate. Since our endorsement of her opponent has come out, she claims most of her friends are LGBTQ and that the Spectrum is “fake news.” Her statements about “fake news” is right from the Republican playbook. As nice a person as she is, do NOT vote for Liberty Leavitt. You can argue “she is her own person,” but if she can’t even influence her husband to be just a bit more tolerant of her LGBTQ friends, how do you think she will perform as a member of the school board?

Trustee, Clark County School Dist. B
Proffitt, Jeff
A teacher, endorsed by the NSEA
Williams, Katie
A QAnon wacko and she’s bat-ass-crazy. How can someone who doesn’t believe in science run for the school board?

Trustee, Clark County School Dist. C
Garcia Morales, Evelyn
Yikes! What to do when both candidates would be an excellent choice? Take your pick.
Henry, Tameka
Yikes! What to do when both candidates would be an excellent choice? Take your pick.

Trustee, Clark County School Dst. E
Brooks, Lola
Has done a good job but could be more forceful. Replaced an incumbent who was bad news. She was supportive of the gender diverse policy. Let’s keep her.
Salt, Alexis

City of Mesquite Mayor
Litman, Allan S.
Great guy. Listens to all sides.
Sweetin, Bob

City of Mesquite Council Seat 5
Boger, Wes
Advocate for schools and economic development. Small business operator, volunteers in local schools.
Fielding, Karen

Justice Of The Peace, Las Vegas, Dept/ 12
Sullivan, Diana L.
Hands down, the best choice. Doing a great job. Let’s keep her.
Clowers-Shanborn, Shanon

Justice Of The Peace, NLV, Dept. 3
Harris, Belinda T. “BTH”
Worked with indigent populations and with social justice issues. While being a legal observer for Black Lives Matters, was illegally detained by Metro Police.
Lee, Chris

BALLOT QUESTIONS

State Question #1
Yes
Shall the Nevada Constitution be amended to: (1) remove provisions governing the election and duties of the Board of Regents and its control and management of the State University and require the Legislature to provide by law for the State University’s governance, control, and management and the reasonable protection of individual academic freedom at Nevada’s public higher education institutions; and (2) revise the administration of certain federal land grant proceeds dedicated for the benefit of certain departments of the State University?

State Question #2
Yes
Shall the Nevada Constitution be amended to: (1) remove an existing provision recognizing marriage as only between a male person and a female person and require the State of Nevada and its political subdivisions to recognize marriages of and issue marriage licenses to couples, regardless of gender;
(2) require all legally valid marriages to be treated equally under the law; and (3) establish a right for religious organizations and clergy members to refuse to perform a marriage and provide that no person is entitled to make any claim against them for exercising that right?
Spectrum explanation: This is to undo a wrong. In 2000 and again in 2002, Nevada voters added a ban of same-sex marriage to the Nevada Constitution. Hatred and bigotry was literally written into the Constitution. This will remove it. In the event same marriage equality is ever over turned by a new Supreme Court, Nevada risks going back to a ban. Discrimination has no place in our Constitution. Vote Yes. See more detail, next page.

State Question #3
Yes
Shall the Nevada Constitution be amended to: (1) require the State Board of Pardons Commissioners— whose members are the Governor, the justices of the Nevada Supreme Court, and the Nevada Attorney General—to meet at least quarterly; (2) authorize each member of the Board to submit matters for consideration by the Board; and (3) authorize the Board to grant pardons and make other clemency decisions by a majority vote of its members without requiring the Governor to be part of the majority of the Board that votes in favor of such decisions?
Spectrum explanation: This is a broken system, has a backlog of hundreds of applicants and yet often doesn’t bother to meet. This bill, sponsored by Sen. David Parks, would go a long way to fixing an inequity in the system.

State Question #4
Yes
Shall the Nevada Constitution be amended by adding a new section guaranteeing specific voting rights to all qualified and registered voters in the State?

State Question #6
Yes
Shall Article 4 of the Nevada Constitution be amended to require, beginning in calendar year 2022, that all providers of electric utility services who sell electricity to retail customers for consumption in Nevada generate or acquire incrementally larger percentages of electricity from renewable energy resources so that by calendar year 2030 not less than 50 percent of the total amount of electricity sold by each provider to its retail customers in Nevada comes from renewable energy resources?

WHERE DO THESE ENDORSEMENTS COME FROM??

Since the mid-1996 a group of progressive and civic-minded individuals, has gathered to endorse candidates for various offices up for election. This endeavor started at the Las Vegas Bugle, followed by the Las Vegas Night Beat and now continues with this publication, the Las Vegas Spectrum.

These endorsements are available here and as in the past, at https://NevadaImpact.com

Elsewhere in the Spectrum, you’ll find information about  voting during our current COVID-19 pandemic. Each registered voter should receive a ballot in the mail. Ballots will be mailed out to actively  registered voters. If in doubt, if not registered or if you have changed your address since you last voted or just want to verify that you’re registered, the easiest way is to follow the instructions at http://vote.org
Voters can also go directly to the Clark County (NV) Election Department by clicking HERE.

Why we do this:

This list of endorsements is published to help the LGBTQIA+ and Progressive community be better informed about candidates. Our panel considers not only the best interest of the LGBTQIA+ community but also the world in which we live. We believe in LGBTQIA+ equality, women’s rights, a living wage and affordable education and healthcare. In a word, we are progressive.
We have considered and made recommendations for nearly every race in Southern Nevada, with the exception of a few rural areas.
While we hope you will do your own research, we also understand elections are complex and confusing at times. There are nearly 60 judicial races alone. We hope our suggestions are helpful.
We urge you to vote in every race and remind you that legislators (Assembly and Senate) will affect all elections at every level. The Nevada Legislature makes statewide decisions, including redistricting. If we elect the wrong legislators, we end up with gerrymandering which unfairly allows a minority to make decisions for the majority.
A personal note from Rob Schlegel: I edit this list. The decisions and most of the comments are made by our committee. While I stand by the committee’s decisions, these endorsements are made by people I trust but individuals who are  far more knowledgeable that I’ll ever be. I thank them for their tireless work.