On June 11, 2012, Project Vote and its partners filed a Complaint against Secretary of State Ross Miller and Director of the department of Health & Human Services, Michael Willden in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada. The Complaint alleges that the state has systematically failed to comply with the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). Since its 1993 enactment, the NVRA has helped ensure that low-income residents receive an opportunity to register to vote by mandating that all public assistance agencies offer voter registration services.
Plaintiffs include the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), Las Vegas Branch of the NAACP (Las Vegas NAACP), and Reno-Sparks Branch of the NAACP (Reno-Sparks NAACP), all of whom conduct voter registration activities in the state. They are represented by Demos, Project Vote, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the NAACP, and the law firms Woodburn and Wedge and Dechert LLP.
Specifically, the Complaint alleges that, based on Nevada’s own submissions to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, the number of voter registration applications submitted at Nevada public assistance offices decreased by a staggering 95% in recent years, from 39,444 in 1999-2000 to just 1,677 in 2009-2010. This steep decline in voter registrations is particularly significant because it occurred during the same period that both the population of the state and the number of applicants for public assistance were increasing.
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. Indeed, a recent survey of 51 individuals leaving public assistance offices showed that four of the five people who specifically requested in writing to register to vote were not given voter registration applications. As a result of the state’s failures, the Plaintiffs are forced to expend resources helping to register citizens who would otherwise be registered by the state.
A District Court judge dismissed Plaintiffs’ complaint on December 19, 2012, finding that the Plaintiffs did not have standing.
However, plaintiffs appealed to the Ninth Circuit, which reinstated the case in September 2015. The Ninth Circuit’s decision directed that the case be reassigned to a different district judge, finding that reassignment was necessary to “maintain the appearance of justice.”
On March 14, 2016, a settlement was reached between the plaintiffs and the Nevada Secretary of State and the Department of Health and Human Services, which includes a robust plan for ensuring that applicants are provided the voter registration services required by the NVRA.
Most Recent / Relevant Items
-
All
-
Post
-
Litigation Document
-
News Item
-
Press Release
Advanced Filters and Sorting
14 results returned
Nevada Officials Settle Voting-Rights Squabble
News Item See all
By Courthouse News Service March 16, 2016
Nevada agreed to improve its efforts to abide by the National Voter Registration Act NVRA to settle a federal lawsuit filed by Project Vote and our partners. Readmore
Nevada settles US lawsuit on behalf of low-income voters
News Item See all
By Associated Press March 15, 2016
The state of Nevada has agreed to new training and reporting requirements to settle a federal lawsuit accusing its public assistance offices of failing to do enough to help low-income clients register to vote. Readmore
Nevada settles lawsuit over registering low-income voters
News Item See all
By Las Vegas Sun March 14, 2016
Voting rights advocates and the state of Nevada settled a lawsuit today over the state’s implementation of a federal law aimed at registering low-income voters. Readmore
Nevada officials settle lawsuit with voting rights advocates
News Item See all
By Las Vegas Review-Journal March 14, 2016
Nevada officials have settled a lawsuit with voting rights advocates over making voter registration materials available to low-income and disabled clients. Readmore
Coalition Secures Settlement That Expands Voter Registration Opportunities Across Nevada
Press Release See all
By Project Vote March 14, 2016
Project Vote and partners reach a settlement with the State of Nevada to ensure low-income citizens are provided voter registration services through public assistance agencies. Readmore
National Council of La Raza v. Miller: Settlement Agreement
Litigation Document See all
By Project Vote March 14, 2016
Settlement agreement in National Council of La Raza v. Miller Readmore
National Council of La Raza v. Miller: Ninth Circuit Opinion
Litigation Document See all
September 3, 2015
Ninth Circuit opinion in National Council of La Raza v. Miller. Readmore
Ninth Circuit Hands Victory to Voting Rights Groups in Public Assistance Voter Registration Case
Press Release See all
By Project Vote September 3, 2015
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reinstated a case challenging the State of Nevada’s failure to provide voter registration to its low-income citizens. Readmore
Voter Registration Law Helps Close Disparities in Voter Turnout
Post See all
By Keir Lamont April 11, 2015
A recent article in Bloomberg View highlights some of work conducted by Project Vote and our partners to further the implementation and goals of the NVRA. Readmore
National Council of La Raza v Miller: District Court Order
Litigation Document See all
December 19, 2012
District court order dismissing National Council of La Raza v. Miller due to lack of standing. Readmore