Yes on 3 Campaign
Campaign Status: Victory
Outcome
Voters said “YES” to Question 3, which asked if the state should use a final-five nonpartisan primary and Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) combination to elect candidates.
What’s next? The measure has to pass again in 2024 to officially become law for the 2026 election. If Question 3 passes again in 2024, Nevada will become the third (and largest!) state in the nation to use RCV for statewide elections. As Alaska and Maine have shown, RCV ensures winning candidates receive support from the majority of voters. It also gives voters the opportunity to rank candidates in order of preference, rather than forcing them to choose between the “lesser of two evils.”
The Policy
Ballot Question 3: Final-five voting (open primaries + ranked choice voting in the general election) for U.S. Senate and congressional races, legislative elections and statewide office positions.
Background
Nevada’s fully closed primary system excludes a growing plurality of Nevada voters from participating in its elections. The only voters who can currently participate in Nevada’s primary elections are those registered as Republican or Democrat even though nearly 30% of Nevada voters are officially registered as “non-partisan.”
Yes on 3 Campaign and its partners are leading this campaign to pass open primaries and ranked choice voting, allowing nonpartisan- and third-party-registered voters to participate and have their voices heard. This change will incentivize candidates to appeal to the widest range of voters, replacing the existing incentive structure for candidates to appeal to the most extreme minorities of their party’s base.
Who’s Involved?
Yes on 3 Campaign is a citizen-backed group pushing this initiative along with help from local organizations like Better Voting Nevada and groups like RepresentUs, Unite America, Vote Nevada, Nevadans for Election Reform, the Institute for Political Innovation and others who want to strengthen democracy in Nevada.
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Campaign Milestones
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Nov 2022
In the 2022 election, Nevadan vote YES on open primaries and Ranked Choice Voting in general elections.
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Jun 2022
Yes on 3 Campaign submits enough signatures to qualify for the Nevada ballot this November. In total, the campaign received 266,000 signatures from citizens, which exceeded the 135,561 valid signature requirement.
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Jan 2022
District Court Judge James Wilson rejects a lawsuit filed by Democratic Party-aligned attorneys attempting to block Yes on 3 Campaign’s ballot initiative that would ask voters to approve open primaries and rank-choice voting.
“The initiative’s description satisfies Nevada’s requirements as its plain language is straightforward, succinct, and non-argumentative,” Wilson ruled.
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Nov 2021
Yes on 3 Campaign files a ballot initiative to “address the deficiencies of the primary election system” and give nonpartisan voters more of a say in elections.
The Latest From This Campaign
Picture this: What Nevada’s elections could look like 5 years from now
May 2 2023
The initiative also would drastically change how campaigns are conducted, forcing candidates and political parties to appeal to the more moderate voter rather than the radicals they appeal to during a closed primary.
Read MoreHow ‘Final Five Voting’ Can Help Save Democracy
Mar 1 2023
By eliminating party primaries and using an instant runoff process, this reform would help reduce the scourge of negative partisanship.
Read MoreNevada voters back big changes to their election system
Nov 14 2022
The measure, which was passing by 52.8% as of Sunday morning, establishes open primary elections in which the top five candidates advance and then a ranked-choice voting system for general elections.
Read More