On the June 9 primary ballot, residents in Henderson will vote on whether to extend an existing property tax to fund their parks system. The tax, which has existed since 1997, is standard. The timing of the vote is not.

Ballot questions are usually voted on during November's general elections. Nevada, like most states, has a higher turnout during general elections than in primaries. In 2024, 48 percent of eligible voters turned out for the general election compared to 15 percent during the primary, according to States United Democracy Center, a nonprofit that focused on elections. 

The tax, which at 12 cents per $100 on home valuations costs homeowners an average of $42 annually, makes up 5 percent of the city's budget and almost 40 percent of Henderson's Parks and Recreation Department budget, according to Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero. 

If the tax ballot question is voted down, there could be serious ramifications, Romero told The Nevada Independent. The tax expires June 30, 2027. 

"It wouldn't really be possible to maintain the current existing park system," Romero said, adding there could be program cuts or layoffs. "That is something we would have to potentially look at." 

While ballot questions are typically reserved for the fall election, tax questions are a bit of an exception. It's not unusual for them to appear on primary ballots, according to Cecilia Heston, a Nevada secretary of state spokesperson. Statewide ballot questions must meet certain requirements to be voted on during a primary, but Nevada law outlines that local tax changes can appear during any election — primary, general or special.  

In an email to The Indy, David Damore, executive director of The Lincy Institute and Brookings Mountain West and a political science professor at UNLV, said low voter turnout might be one reason the Henderson ballot question was being voted on in June, particularly because primary voters tend to be invested in their communities and may better understand that the tax is just an extension. He said "age, education and length of residency" were major drivers in voter turnout, especially in primary elections. 

"Knowing that the voting pool is likely to be composed of more people who are invested in the community and may actually take the time to learn about the question, they will see that it does not raise taxes, but instead maintains an existing tax stream that would otherwise go to the county," Damore said in an email. 

However, Romero said this wasn't why the Henderson ballot question was scheduled for June. If the ballot question did not pass, she said the city would need more time to figure out how to fix the impending budget deficit. 

"It's not a change, it's not an increase, but the ramifications if it didn't pass are so overwhelming and widespread that we're going to need as much time as we possibly can to figure out what to do to fill the gap," Romero said. 

Romero also pointed to the 2024 election, when the City of North Las Vegas decided to place two funding related ballot measures on its primary ballot rather than the general ballot. Both passed. 

According to Clark County spokesperson Stephanie Wheatley, cities are at liberty to choose how to schedule their ballot questions during elections.