Las Vegas, Nevada – October 13, 2011 – On Monday and Tuesday, judicial hearings were held in Las Vegas and Carson City concerning the redistricting of state’s Legislative and Congressional districts that reflect demographic changes determined by the 2010 census. The hearings were held by three Special Masters appointed by Carson City District Judge James T. Russell. Judge Russell tasked the Masters to complete their redistricting maps by October 21st.

In response to sentiment in the Hispanic community, the Nevada Republican Party strongly argued that there should be a Congressional District with a majority Hispanic population that presents an opportunity for a Hispanic Representative to be elected to Congress. The Republican redistricting plan submitted to the Legislature provided a Hispanic Congressional District and 12 Hispanic Legislative Districts. The Democrats, who controlled the 2011 Legislature, would not even allow this plan to be brought to the floor for consideration. At the redistricting hearings, the Democrats were adamant in their opposition to a “majority-minority” Congressional District that would provide representation to Hispanics.

The attorneys for the Republican Party pointed out the unfairness of the two redistricting plans submitted to Governor Sandoval by the Democrats. The Governor wisely vetoed both bills. Not only were these plans unfair to Hispanics, both plans were grossly politically biased. Each Democratic plan, and every subsequent plan submitted to the court by the Democrats, would assure that the Democrats would control both the state senate and the assembly until the next census 10 years from now. The Democrats forced this result by drawing Legislative districts such that over sixty percent of the districts would have a safe majority of Democrats, thus guaranteeing that both the assembly and senate would remained under the firm control of the Democrats.

Republicans who testified at the hearing requested the special masters to provide redistricting that would assure that all of State’s people would be represented fairly in the Legislature, not just the Democrats.

Clark County Republican Party Vice Chairman Woody Stroupe stated that the redistricting lines should be fair both politically and geographically. He also stated that the Hispanics deserve fair representation, as they make up almost 25 percent of Nevada’s population.

Rick Houghtelling, Clark County Republican Party executive board member and chairman of the Legislative Committee stated that the new district lines should be drawn by population as required by the US Constitution and Nevada Law, without any partisan gerrymandering, so that every Nevadan has an equal vote in our elections.

-###-

Clark County Republican Party
241 W Charleston Blvd, Ste 140
Las Vegas, NV 89102
702-258-9184
www.clarkgop.org

A lot of concern and misinformation about the Nevada Republican Party pushing through same-day registration for the Feb. 18th Presidential Caucus has made its way around by email over the last few days. Much of this information is inaccurate. The diatribe from TRUNC is full of inaccuracies and insults, and I have responded to the authors telling them so. I hope the next time they put out a press release they will take the time to write one that is logical, accurate, and, most of all, respectful to the people with whom they are disagreeing. We should be able to disagree without becoming insulting.

I mean, after all, we are not Democrats.

Here is the straight story. On July 20th, the State Executive Committee met for its monthly telecom. There was a discussion of providing same-day registration at the caucus and how successful the Democrats had been in registering new voters in 2008. There was nothing written in the rules either way about registration. The Committee discussed it and voted to
allow it as part of the caucus. After so many voiced their concerns, the Committee agreed to reconsider the motion and voted unanimously to withdraw the July 20th motion and put this item on the agenda at the Oct 22nd NRCC meeting, so that you could all hear the same information the committee received.

Until then, let me clear up some of the misinformation that has been sent out in emails:

1. This was done in secret and is being rammed down the State’s throat by outside operatives.
Not true. This was done in an open discussion at an open committee meeting. There were no “outside operatives” in attendance.

2. The state is taking over the caucus, disregarding the precinct meetings and also using it as a fundraiser for the NRP.
Not true. There is a draft of a proposed caucus plan. Each Board member was asked to submit comments. I submitted 28 general and specific comments about the draft plan, pointing out conflicts with the NRP bylaws and the rules agreed to by the NRCC. Others submitted their comments along the same line as well. To put you at ease, all three of the county chairmen who sit on the committee are on the same page when it comes to the caucus, so there will be major changes to that draft.

3. The rules have already been sent to the RNC and can’t be changed.
Therefore, same-day registration is a done deal.
Not true. The rules that were submitted to the RNC were the ones approved in Carson City in April. Voting to include same-day registration would actually have to be done after the deadline and taken into consideration separately by the RNC. It is not a done deal.

For some reason, there are folks who prefer to react to rumor and partial stories without taking the time to gather all the facts, then present a logic-based, factual, unemotional opinion that backs their position. There are others who see sinister motives and plots behind every effort. It’s easy to throw mud balls, but it doesn’t solve problems. It eventually causes more problems and diminishes trust in those who are working for the right cause for the right reasons. No one wins. Your Executive committee is engaged in making sure Nevada has a successful caucus.

From here forward, I ask that you stop the accusations, finger pointing, and rush to judgment, and take the time to get all the facts on the issue.

Please continue the great work you all are doing. The CCRP did a great job with the CD2 election.

The leadership is working on the political plan for 2012.

CCRP members have been to three very successful outreach events, registering new voters, recruiting candidates, and meeting contacts to work with. We have great candidates who are already being trained.

I am very actively involved in all that is going on at the state level, and I have Clark County’s interests Number One on my priority list. I thank all of you who provide inputs to me on this issue. Your voices were heard.

I encourage all who are NRCC members to attend the meeting on October 22nd at the Venetian. Those who are not members are welcome to attend as guests.

Let’s keep up the great work!

Dave

Clark County Republican Party
241 W Charleston Blvd, Ste 140
Las Vegas, NV 89102
702-258-9184
www.clarkgop.org

In 2012, we have a great opportunity as Republicans to change the political landscape.  We have a US Senate seat, four Congressional Districts, State Senate, Assembly, County Commission, Clark County School Board, and judicial races that we need to win.  And, of course, we will be electing a President as well.  How can you help?  For each of us, we have to do just one thing:  Get Active!

Next year will kick off with our Presidential Caucus in February.  Then we will have the Clark County Republican convention in March.  In May will be the Nevada State Republican Convention, and in June, the Primary Election.  Once summer hits, the pace picks up as our Party and nominees work toward winning the General Election.  And in November, we vote for those who we believe will make our country and our state a better place to live, work, and play.

As you can see, there is a lot to do next year.  And we need YOUR help to make it happen.  This is not the time to sit home and watch it all happen on TV.  Get Active!  Come to the CCRP Headquarters, or call us and say, “I want to help.”  If you want to work with a particular candidate’s campaign, we can get you in contact with them.  If you want to help make phone calls, knock on doors, stuff envelopes, or any number of activities involved in a campaign, we have a great team at the CCRP who stand ready to point you in a direction and provide you with the training and tools you’ll need.

I am proud to be serving as the Chairman of the Clark County Republican Party at this exciting and critical time.  We have a team of dedicated volunteers already working hard to make 2012 a great year for Republicans in Clark County, in Nevada, and throughout the United States.  But, we need more.  It will take a whole lot of us, working together, to make this happen.  Join us today.  Help us elect people who will lead our government according to our Constitution, not by what some activist judge says.  Help us elect people who will represent “We the People” and not the special interests.  Help us elect people who will increase opportunities for our citizens in Nevada and across the nation.  Help us elect people who will actually fix education rather than just talk about the problems.  Help us make Nevada a Red state in 2012.  Get Active!

Dave Gibbs
Chairman

CCRP members, we need your help to minimize voter fraud and help insure that the citizens of Nevada have fair, honest, and accurate elections.

When a committee chair does not want a bill to be heard, they table it. To date, none of the bills below have been heard in committee. If they are not heard by Friday, April 15th, they will be tabled, will not go to the floor for a vote, and will not be discussed in committee or on the floor.

The Senate Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections has bills SB178 and SB373. The Assembly Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections has bills AB310, AB311, AB327, AB397, AB434, and AB435. The bills are summarized below and each one will help minimize voter fraud and help insure that the citizens of Nevada have fair, honest, and accurate elections.

We need your help to get these bills heard this week and then brought to the floor as we have a right to expect. Call or email all committee members (listed below) right away (Monday, if possible) and request them to hear all of the above bills! The easiest way is to send the email is to address your email to yourself and put all the Senate and Assembly members’ addresses together on the bcc: line. This will send the email to each legislator individually.

If your Assemblyman and/or Senator are one of the committees you should address the email to them and then put the other committee members on the bcc: line. Be sure to let your representative know that you are in their district If you do not know who your Assemblyman and Senator are, click here: http://mapserve.leg.state.nv.us/website/lcb/viewer.htm and enter your address in the upper left hand corner.

Use your own words for the email or use the following suggested email:

In the subject line enter “Please hear all election bills this week.”
The body could read: “I am requesting that bills SB178, SB373, AB310, AB311, AB327, AB397, AB434, and AB 435 be heard in their respective Senate and Assembly Committees on Legislative Operations and Elections and then brought to the floor for a vote.

I know that we can agree that this is not a partisan issue. All voters in Nevada regardless of party affiliation deserve to have the integrity of the election process in Nevada to be beyond question. Let us work together to protect one of our most important rights as citizens, the right to vote.

Thank you very much for taking action on voters’ rights.

Assembly Operations and Election Committee

Tick Segerblom, Ph 775-684-8549 tsegerblom@asm.state.nv.us

Lucy Flores, ph 775-684-8583 lflores@asm.state.nv.us

Marcus Conklin, Ph 775-684-8505 mconklin@asm.state.nv.us

Skip Daly, ph 775-684-8563 rdaly@asm.state.nv.us

William Horne, Ph 775-684-8847 whorne@asm.state.nv.us

Marilyn Kirkpatrick, Ph 775-684-8509 mkirkpatrick@asm.state.nv.us

John Oceguera, Ph 775-684-8819 joceguera@asm.state.nv.us

James Ohrenschall, Ph 775-684-8595 johrenschall@asm.state.nv.us

Debbie Smith, Ph 775-684-8841 dsmith@asm.state.nv.us

Pete Goicoechea, ph 775-684-8573 pgoicoechea@asm.state.nv.us

Tom Grady, ph 775-684-8507 tgrady@asm.state.nv.us

Cresent Hardy, Ph 775-684-8857 chardy@asm.state.nv.us

Pat Hickey, Ph 775-684-8837 phickey@asm.state.nv.us

Richard McArthur, Ph 775-684-8829 rmcarthur@asm.state.nv.us

Lynn Stewart, Ph 775-684-8823 lstewart@asm.state.nv.us

Senate Operations and Elections Committee

David Parks Ph 775-684-6504 dparks@sen.state.nv.us

Mo Denis Ph 775-684-1431 mdenis@sen.state.nv.us

Steven Horsford Ph 775-684-1429 shorsford@sen.state.nv.us

Barbara Cegavske Ph 775-684-1445 bcegavske@sen.state.nv.us

James Settelmeyer Ph 775-684-1470 jsettelmeyer@sen.state.nv.us

The bills are summarized below.

SB 373, Primary Sponsor: Senator Michael Roberson
Bill requires any voting citizen to show a photo ID, when registering and when voting in elections in Nevada. This bill is similar to the provisions approved by the United States Supreme Court determination in the Indiana Identification law and does not burden a person’s right to vote.

SB178, Primary Sponsor(s): Senator Don Gustavson Assemblyman Ira Hansen
Existing law states, only legal citizens of the United States are eligible to register to vote and vote in elections. This bill enforces that law, it also provides for protection to certain individuals from pressure or coercion by others to commit a felony by voting when they are not eligible to vote. This bill also stops people who are not legal citizens from receiving state and local benefits, including grants, loans, Scholarships, aid assistance or a driver’s license.

AB310, Primary Sponsor(s): Assemblymen Mark Sherwood, Edwin Goedhart, John Hambrick,
Senator Don Gustavson.
This bill removes the qualifier regarding a person having previously voted in a federal election in this State and requires any person who registers by mail to vote and does not meet the exceptions to present the required forms of identification before voting each time the person votes.

AB311. Primary Sponsors: Assemblymen Cresent Hardy and Mark Sherwood.
Cost saving bill, by removing early voting and helps to stop voter intimidations and voting irregularities.

AB327. Primary Sponsor(s): Assemblyman John Hambrick
This bill regards regular and absentee voting address that written notice must include the name, address and date of birth of the registered voter, a statement that the requester is a registered voter, a statement identifying the election for which the absent ballot is requested, the political affiliation of the registered and other required verifiable identification.

AB397. Primary Sponsor(s): Assemblyman Richard McArthur.
This bill will require replacement of the old touch screen Sequoia Edge voting machines presently used and replace them with a less hack able and more reliable method for voting.

AB434. Primary Sponsor(s): Assemblyman Cresent Hardy
Addresses voting laws and citizenship requirements for voting. Also specifies requirements for absentee voting and time limits to send out absentee ballots.

AB435. Primary Sponsor(s): Assemblyman Mark Sherwood
Addresses the issue of voter identification and which items can be presented to vote.

Frank Ricotta
Chairman
Clark County Republican Party

Recently Senators Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer toured the Sunday Talk Show circuit attacking the Tea Party members as an out of control bunch of “extremists’ pulling the strings on Speaker Boehner and putting him into a box.  While they may want to put somebody in a box it probably was not the Speaker of the House.

Consistent with Marxists and  the “Rules for Radicals” tactics of  Saul Alinsky, the Democrats are attempting to marginalize and denigrate those that they fear  the most, the tens of millions of Tea Party members that are sick of the  “business as usual” style  of Washington politics.  Now is not the time to cower to the attacks from the left. The Democrats have given us a new sense of power that will always remain with the people.  In order to display our power we must unite on a local level and let our voices be heard. Take the test below and see if you are an “Extremist.”  If you are an Extremist locate the leaders of your local Democratic Party on the internet and send them a message to let them know that you are an Extremist and you are sick and tired of the do nothing party that is in power. Ask them to pass your message along to their leaders Senators Reid and  Schumer, Minority Leader Pelosi and the President of the United States.

Take the Test: If You Are an Extremist Send This Test to Everyone You Know.

If you are angry at deficit spending then   “Maybe you are an Extremist.”

If you hate government debt that runs all the way to China then   “Maybe you are an Extremist.”

If you hate a Congress that did not have time to pass a budget last year because they were too busy cramming healthcare down your throat then   “Maybe you are an extremist.”

If you are angry that your children will inherit a national debt that costs more than a house then “Maybe you are an Extremist”

If you don’t want to be a stockholder in General Motors or Chrysler then   “Maybe you are an Extremist.”

If you think healthcare is a benefit and not a right then   “Maybe you are an extremist.”

If you think Congress should not be exempt from Obamacare   then  “Maybe you are an Extremist.”

If you think the Congress should not get pay raises when they are cutting benefits to our military then “Maybe you are an Extremist.”

If you think that corruption and waste in government programs should a high priority then “Maybe you are an Extremist.”

If you think that corporations that pay no taxes and are big supporters of President Obama should not get special privileges’ then “Maybe you are an Extremist.”

If you think that companies that support the President should not get waivers on the Healthcare Bill then   “Maybe you are an Extremist.”

If you are angry that your gasoline costs twice as much as when Obama moved into the White House then “Maybe you are an Extremist.”

If you are sick of food prices going up each week then  “Maybe you are an Extremist.”

If you are sick of declining student achievement scores and increasing union pensions then “Maybe you are an Extremist.”

If you think the White House flips a coin when making foreign policy then “Maybe you are an Extremist.”

If you think the tax payer funded Stimulus Package was just another payback for Obama supporters then “Maybe you are an Extremist.”

If you are angry that more people are living in poverty then two years ago, “Maybe you are an extremist.”

If you think it is unfair that people get to choose between working and getting unemployment then “Maybe you are an extremist.”

If you think the government unions are the fund raising arm of the Democratic Party using your tax payer money to fund political campaigns then “Maybe you are an Extremist.”

If you think it was unfair to close your neighborhood car dealer because he gave money to the Republicans then “Maybe you are an Extremist.”

If you believe in smaller government as opposed to waste, fraud and corruption then “Maybe you are an Extremist.”

If you think the Department of Justice administers justice based on the color of your skin then “Maybe you are an Extremist.”

If you think our energy policies are designed to keep you poor because the government thinks poor people like the environment better than working people then “Maybe you are an Extremist.”

If you think that the Tea Party should double its size in the next year and you will do your share to see that it happens then “You are an Extremist and We Love You For It.”

Senator Elizabeth Halseth is opposing this bill and she needs our support.  Please call or email her and all the other committee members to let them know that we vote oppose SB235.  The committee members and their phone numbers are:  Chairman Shirley Breeden (775-684-1457): Senators; Michael Schneider (VC) (775-684-6502), John Lee (702-647-3550), Mark Manendo (775-684-6503) , Elizabeth Halseth (775-684-1421), Michael McGinness (775-684-1442), and Dean Rhoads (775-684-1447).

Emails; sbreeden@sen.state.nv.us , mscheider@sen.state.nv.us , jlee@sen.state.nv.us ,mmanendo@sen.state.nv.us, mmcginness@sen.state.nv.us, drhoads@sen.state.nv.us ,ehalseth@sen.state.nv.us,

Elwood Stroupe, Vice Chairman - Clark County Republican Party

Carole Long, Voter Rights Committee Chair - Clark County Republican Party