Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo has vetoed a bill that would have finally given nearly 750,000 independent voters in the state the right to vote in primaries.
The bill was introduced in the final week of the legislative session by Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager, who argued it would “strengthen our democracy and bring our elections closer to the people that we are meant to serve.”
But it was something else he said that really stood out: “The dam is going to break one way or another. The question is: Are we going to be part of the process?”
Here are three reasons why open primaries are still inevitable in Nevada:
The largest “party” in Nevada isn’t Democrats or Republicans — it’s independent and minor-party voters. Together, they make up 35% of the electorate, compared to 29% each for Democrats and Republicans. This mirrors a national trend: more and more voters are declaring independence from the two major parties.
Nevada is one of 16 states with closed party primaries, where only voters registered with a party can participate. That system locks roughly 743,000 eligible Nevadans out of the most important elections. It’s an easily-changed policy that’s increasingly out of step with the electorate — and Speaker Yeager knows it.
Over the past 50 years, five states (Alaska, California, Louisiana, Nebraska, and Washington) have adopted open primaries for federal or state offices as a way to empower all voters. In 2024, we saw nearly 8 million voters in six states and Washington, D.C., call for open primaries — including through a ballot initiative in Nevada itself. Earlier this year, New Mexico passed bipartisan legislation to open its primaries, and similar bills are gaining steam in Pennsylvania and Montana. The direction is clear — and elected officials are starting to take notice.
Supermajorities of voters agree: every eligible voter should be able to participate in every taxpayer-funded election. Polling also shows that voters are more likely to support candidates and parties that respect independent voters' rights. In other words, opening primaries isn’t just the fair thing to do — it’s a win for voters, for parties, and for democracy.
While this bill was stopped for now, the push for open primaries is not. With growing support from voters, lawmakers, and reform advocates alike, Nevada is on the path to giving all voters a voice and more choice. Speaker Yeager is right: the dam is going to break — and when it does, all voters will finally have a real say in elections.
