Nevada Politics and the 10 Large places in Nevada

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Due to the tremendous growth of Las Vegas in recent years, there is a noticeable divide between politics of northern and southern Nevada. The north has long maintained control of key positions in the state government even while the population of the Las Vegas area is larger than the rest of the state. This has fostered resentment as the north sees the south as a potential bully of majority rule and the south sees the north as the "old guard" trying to rule as an oligarchy. However, due to a term limit amendment passed by Nevada voters in 1994, and again in 1996, some of the North's hold over key positions will soon be forfeited to the South, leaving Northern Nevada with less power. Most people outside the state are not familiar with this rivalry. According to official statistics, party registration numbers show that 40.5% of voters are registered Republicans, with 40.1% being Democrats and 19.3% of voters being Independents.

The state is not dominated by either major political party and is a swing state in both state and federal politics. Republicans won Nevada three times in the 1980s. Democrat Bill Clinton won the state in the 1992 and 1996 presidential elections and Republican George Bush won Nevada in 2000 and 2004. In 2004, George Bush narrowly won the state's five electoral votes by a margin of two percentage points with 50.5% of the vote. Las Vegas' Clark County, which contains the vast majority of the state's population, was the only county to vote Democratic.

The state's U. S. Senators are newly-elevated Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D), a native of the town of Searchlight, and Senator John Ensign (R).

In state politics, both Democrats and Republicans have gained control of the governorship and the Nevada Legislature, with often cross-party support for varying candidates and politicians. However, no party has yet had concrete control of the Legislature or governorship in recent years.

City Population
within
city limits Land Area
sq. miles Population
Density
per sq mi County
1 Las Vegas 553,807 131.3 4,217.8 Clark
2 Henderson 255,646 79.7 2,200.8 Clark
3 Paradise 221,051 47.1 3,947.3 Clark
4 Reno 206,629 69.1 2,611.4 Washoe
5 Sunrise Manor 195,581 38.2 4,081.8 Clark
6 North Las Vegas 177,751 78.5 1,471.0 Clark
7 Spring Valley 176,552 33.4 3,519.4 Clark
8 Sparks 88,518 23.9 2,773.6 Washoe
9 Carson City 58,350 143.4 366 Carson City
10 Pahrump 44,614 297.9 82.7 Nye

Libertarian laws

In 1900, Nevada's population was the smallest of all states and was shrinking, as the difficulties of living in a "barren desert" began to outweigh the lure of silver for many early settlers. Historian Lawrence Friedman has explained what happened next:

"Nevada built an economy by exploiting its sovereignty. Its strategy was to legalize all sorts of things that were illegal in many other states in the union... after easy divorce came easy marriage, and casino gambling. Even prostitution (in the form of brothels only) is legal in parts of the state."

Divorce laws
Nevada's early reputation as a "divorce haven" arose from the fact that prior to the no-fault divorce revolution in the 1970s, divorces were quite difficult to obtain in the United States. To boost its fragile economy, Nevada adopted one of the most liberal divorce statutes in the nation. This resulted in Williams v. North Carolina, 317 U.S. 287 (1942), in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that North Carolina had to give "full faith and credit" to a Nevada divorce.

Tax laws
Nevada's tax laws also draw new residents and businesses to the state. Nevada has no personal income tax or corporate income tax.

Incorporation laws
Nevada also provides friendly environment for the formation of corporations, and many (especially California) businesspeople have incorporated their businesses in Nevada to take advantage of the benefits of the Nevada statute. Nevada Corporations offer great flexibility to the Board of Directors and simplify or avoid many of the rules that are cumbersome to business managers in some other states. In addition, Nevada has no franchise tax.

Financial institutions
Similarly, many U.S. states have usury laws limiting the amount of interest a lender can charge, but Federal law allows corporations to 'import' these laws from their home state. Nevada (amongst others) has relatively lax interest laws, in effect allowing banks to charge as much as they want, hence the preponderance of credit card companies in the state.

Drug laws
This is a notable exception to Nevada's otherwise libertarian principles. It is notable for having the harshest penalties for drug offenders in the country. Nevada remains the only state to still use mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines for marijuana possession. However, it is now a misdemeanor for possession of less than one ounce. In 2006, voters in Nevada defeated attempts to allow possession of 1 ounce of marijuana (for personal use) without being criminally prosecuted, but this failed by a vote of (55% against legalization, 45% in favor of legalization). Also, Nevada is one of the states that allows for use of marijuana for medical reasons (though this remains illegal under federal law, and US Supreme Court rulings).

Nevada has very liberal alcohol laws. Bars are permitted (but not required) to remain open 24 hours, with no "last call". Liquor stores, convenience stores and supermarkets may also sell alcohol 24 hours per day, and may sell beer, wine and spirits.

Smoking
Nevada voters enacted a smoking ban ("the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act") in November 2006 that became effective on Dec. 8, 2006. It outlaws smoking in most workplaces and public places. Smoking is permitted in bars, but only if the bar serves no food, or the bar is inside a larger casino. Smoking is also permitted in hotel rooms, tobacco shops, and brothels. However, most businesses do not obey this law and the government tends not to enforce it. Yet, in one case they did prosecute an establishment called "Bilbo's" but trial is pending until 2008.

A 2006 study found workers in Nevada casinos had damage to their DNA from tobacco smoke.

The Nevada State Capitol is the capitol building of the U.S. state of Nevada. It is located in the state capital of Carson City at 101 N. Carson Street. The building was constructed between 1869 and 1871.

Construction
Abraham Curry, the founder of Carson City, reserved an area equivalent to four city blocks (10 acres or 4.04 ha) at the center of the town for the future state capitol. When the Capitol building was constructed, it was naturally located on "the plaza", which had, some ten or eleven years earlier, been designated for it, and given for that purpose.

As Mark Twain wrote in Roughing It, today's capitol site was in 1861, "a large, unfenced, level vacancy, with a liberty pole in it, and very useful as a place for public auctions, horse trades, mass meetings, and likewise for teamsters to camp in."

The "act to provide for the erection of a State Capitol" was passed and signed into law in 1869. The Board of Capitol Commissioners received bids of $84,000 to $160,000 for construction and they chose the lowest bid, submitted by Peter Cavanaugh and Son of Carson City. The 1869 act authorized $100,000 for construction, with money to come from a special tax levy, plus the proceeds from the sale of some public land. To keep costs down, the building sandstone was obtained free of charge from the Nevada State Prison quarry, just outside of Carson City. In spite of this, the construction costs mounted to some $170,000, exceeding even the high bid.

The cornerstone was laid on June 9, 1870. A brass box that served as a time capsule was deposited in the stone. However, which stone is the actual cornerstone is currently unknown.

The fourth session of the state legislature met in the still-incomplete building at the beginning of 1871. Construction was completed by May 1, 1871. Several of the architect's original drawings are preserved in the state archives.

Architecture

The original building was cruciform, with a central rectangle 76 feet wide by 85 feet deep (23 x 25.8 m). It had with two wings, each 35 feet wide by 52 feet deep (10.6 x 15.8 m). The windows' glass panes are made of 26-ounce (737 g) French crystal, as are those above the doors. Floors and wainscotting are of Alaskan marble, shipped to San Francisco in 20-ton (18,144 kg) blocks and there cut and polished for installation.

The first floor contained a major office at each corner connect by central halls, while the wings of the second floor were filled by the two legislative chambers--the Assembly and the Senate. The octagonal dome topped with a cupola admitted light to the second story. In 1906, an octagonal Annex was added to the rear (east) of the capitol to house the State Library.

By the early 20th century, the legislature had outgrown the capitol, and prominent Nevada architect Frederic DeLongchamps was contracted to design northern and southern legislative wings, completed in time for the 1915 session. These compatible wings used stone from the same quarry as the original portion of the capitol, and provided more office space and expanded legislative chambers.

Usage
For more than 50 years, all three branches of the state government were housed in the Capitol. The Supreme Court met here until 1937, when it moved into an adjacent building and the Nevada Legislature met here until 1971, when it moved to its new Legislative Building just south of the Capitol. Every Nevada governor except the first has had his office in the capitol. Today, the Capitol continues to serve the Governor, and contains historical exhibits on the second floor.

The Nevada Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Legislature is a bicameral body, consisting of the lower house Nevada Assembly, with 42 members, and the upper house Nevada Senate, with 21 members.

Legislature defined by law
The Nevada Constitution sets the maximum size of the Legislature at 75 members, and provides that the Senate may not be less than one-third nor more than one-half the size of the Assembly. As of 2007, the number of members for both houses is 63, twelve members below the maximum size as stated in the state constitution.

The Nevada Senate is the upper house of the Nevada Legislature, the state legislature of U.S. state of Nevada. The Senate consists of 21 members from 19 districts, two of which are multimember. Each senator represented approximately 94,700 people as of the 2000 census, although 2006 Census Bureau estimates suggest an average population of 118,800 per senator. Senators serve four-year terms. Term limits, limiting senators to three 4-year terms (12 years), will take effect in 2010. Seven senators will be termed out in 2010 and six in 2012.

Like other upper houses of state and territorial legislatures and the federal U.S. Senate, the Senate can confirm or reject gubernatorial appointments to the state cabinet, commissions and boards.

The Senate meets at the Nevada State Capitol in Carson City.

The Nevada Assembly is the lower house of the Nevada Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Nevada. The body consists of 42 members, elected to two-year terms from single-member districts. Each Assembly district contained approximately 47,400 people as of the 2000 census, although 2006 Census Bureau estimates suggest an average population of 59,400 per district. Term limits, limiting assemblymembers to six 2-year terms (12 years), will take effect in 2010. Twelve members of the Assembly will be termed out in 2010.

The Assembly meets at the Nevada State Capitol in Carson City. As in neighboring California, the lower house of the legislature is referred to as an "Assembly" rather than the more common "House of Representatives."

Meetings
The Assembly, like the Senate, is composed of citizen legislators, receiving a relatively small per diem fee for the first 60 days of a given session. This tends to self-selection, with legislative service difficult for those without flexible jobs and/or large outside incomes, such as doctors and lawyers. The Assembly, again like the Senate, meets however long is necessary for the completion of all its business, up to a maximum of 120 days, beginning the first Monday in February of every odd-numbered year. While this is designed to limit the amount of time a legislator is away from their first job, in recent years 120 days has not been enough to complete legislative business, and after the last four regular sessions, special sessions have been called to finish up legislative business.

Leadership of the Assembly
The Speaker of the Assembly presides over the Assembly in the chief leadership position, controlling the flow of legislation and committee assignments. The Speaker is elected by the majority party caucus, followed by confirmation of the full Assembly on passage of a floor vote. Other Assembly leaders, such as the majority and minority leaders, are elected by their respective party caucuses according to each party's strength in the chamber.

The current Speaker is Democrat Barbara Buckley of the Clark 8 District (Las Vegas). The Majority Leader is John Oceguera of the Clark 16 District (Las Vegas). The Minority Leader is Republican Garn Mabey of the Clark 2 District (Las Vegas).

List of Governors
Picture Name Party Took office Left office Notes
1 Henry G. Blasdel Republican December 5, 1864 January 2, 1871
2 Lewis R. Bradley Democratic January 2, 1871 January 6, 1879
3 John H. Kinkead Republican January 6, 1879 January 1, 1883
4 Jewett W. Adams Democratic January 1, 1883 January 3, 1887
5 Charles C. Stevenson Republican January 3, 1887 September 21, 1890
6 Frank Bell Republican September 21, 1890 January 5, 1891
7 Roswell K. Colcord Republican January 5, 1891 January 7, 1895
8 John E. Jones Silver January 7, 1895 April 10, 1896
9 Reinhold Sadler Silver April 10, 1896 January 5, 1903
10 John Sparks Silver-Democratic January 5, 1903 May 22, 1908
11 Denver S. Dickerson Silver-Democratic May 22, 1908 January 2, 1911
12 Tasker L. Oddie Republican January 2, 1911 January 4, 1915
13 Emmet D. Boyle Democratic January 4, 1915 January 1, 1923
14 James G. Scrugham Democratic January 1, 1923 January 3, 1927
15 Fred B. Balzar Republican January 3, 1927 March 21, 1934
16 Morley Griswold Republican March 21, 1934 January 7, 1935
17 Richard Kirman, Sr. Democratic January 7, 1935 January 2, 1939
18 Edward P. Carville Democratic January 2, 1939 July 24, 1945
19 Vail M. Pittman Democratic July 24, 1945 January 1, 1951
20 Charles H. Russell Republican January 1, 1951 January 5, 1959
21 Grant Sawyer Democratic January 5, 1959 January 2, 1967
22 Paul Laxalt Republican January 2, 1967 January 4, 1971
23 Mike O'Callaghan Democratic January 4, 1971 January 1, 1979
24 Robert List Republican January 1, 1979 January 3, 1983
25 Richard Hudson Bryan Democratic January 3, 1983 January 3, 1989
26 Bob Miller Democratic January 3, 1989 January 4, 1999
27 Kenny Guinn Republican January 4, 1999 January 1, 2007
28 Jim Gibbons Republican January 1, 2007 Incumbent

In the 1900s Socialism was strong in Nevada with Reno having 2 socialist newspapers. With a socialist winning 28 per cent of the vote in a 1916 election. With also a socialist colony set up, with people going to it from around America. The colony became unpopular as of a death of a sheriff trying to arrest someone drafted for World War One, a war that had upped the Socialist Party popularity as of it;s opposition to it in many areas. Though actually Woodrow Wilson took many Socialist votes by claiming to be the peace party. The 1918 election saw the Socialists get only 100s out of over 20,000 votes, the 1920 election the same so the socialists had become moribund. It has been thought Nevada could have been a refuge from the war and a place for Socialism, to take over voa immigration and popularity but this theory went away. The Socialists started growing on Nevada from 1906. Also using the facts that troops like in 1908 were used to quell a strike. Most Socialist Party members came from Democrats annoyed at how their party was so un with their side in the strikes. Indeed a Democrat used troops. But in the end in the 1930s and 1960s the Democrats installed many principles of socialism, to most people's pleasure. 1912 saw a Republican send troops to put down a strike, the same year Socialists were electeds to the state senate, and elected to many big positions. That year saw the Socialist US Presidential Candidate Debs get more votes in Nevada than the official Republican candidate with 16% so finishing 3rd whereas he got 4th and 6 % nationally, this was the second highest percentage for the Socialists in any state only Oklahoma saw a higher percentage by 0.1%, which were the highest percentages ever for a socialist candidate in a US Presidential state. The socialist in the 1914 Senate election got over 20%, What also helped the decline of the socialists was killing of a deserter by a national bounty hunter, So the socialists fell down. With many people emigrating as they felt the local population were know against them. Many locals opposed the strong pacifist elements in the local socialists. Some socialists remained elected officials by being labelled independents even after being tarred as Bolsheviks by the local press. Sociaists had been strong among labouring classes and also recent foreign immigrants. Some attacked the Socialists as Unamerican, some socialist leaders joined a war comittee in Nevada which helped attack pacifists, though most of that attacking was of course done by people who were not socialists. The socialists had some links to the Industrial Workers of the World group, which itself was attacked more firmly here. So interesting stuff, Nevada could have been a socialist state and had some exiting stuff. So in a sense among the most left wing histories, like the tale of the Californian Socialist almost elected in the 1930s. But were they all that different from 1930s Democrats who won by huge percentages could they have been more left wing than them. Who knows.