Updated: 2:37 p.m. 6/13/17

Among the people clutching yoga mats or carrying children out of the Centennial Hills YMCA on Tuesday morning, some emerged donning “I voted” stickers.

Most Las Vegas residents who participated in the municipal general election Tuesday morning didn’t encounter much of a line — at least in the northwest valley. But a steady trickle of voters streamed into the voting center, ready to cast a ballot for the judicial race, council contest or both.

David Newton, 50, said he hoped residents continued showing up throughout the day to participate in the local races. A political science major, Newton said he “almost always” votes in every election, big or small.

This time he cast a ballot for Kelli Ross, who’s hoping to succeed her husband, Steve, as the Las Vegas City Council member for Ward 6 in the northwest valley. Ross is running against former state lawmaker Michele Fiore.

“I know Fiore’s actions in the Legislature in the last few sessions,” Newton said, explaining his vote. “That turned me off completely.”

Newton, who described himself as a nonpartisan, also voted for incumbent Heidi Almase to remain as the Municipal Court judge for department 3. Almase came under criticism for advertising-related materials released by her campaign last week and, ultimately, issued an apology. Cara Campbell, a chief deputy district attorney for Clark County, is challenging Almase for the judicial post.

Newton attended law school with Almase and said he wasn’t deterred by the controversy involving her campaign. “I know who she is and that’s not reflective of her,” he said.

Cindy Peterson and Terri Reed, however, cast votes for Campbell. The friends, who regularly grab morning coffee and run errands, hit the polls together.

“I read about her and Heidi Almase,” Reed, 68, said. “I liked more of the things I read about Ms. Campbell.”

Even though Peterson, 63, regularly participates in elections, she didn’t hold back grumbling about the timing of the municipal races.

“I think they should move elections so we do it all at once because this is a waste of money,” she said, motioning to the voting center set up inside the Centennial Hills YMCA.

Further south, election participation appeared similar — a steady flow but no lines — at the Sahara West Library on Tuesday morning. The voting center sits within Ward 2, where Councilman Bob Beers is trying to retain his seat. He’s running against Steve Seroka, who has criticized the incumbent for being willing to allow development on the shuttered Badlands Golf Club at the corner of Rampart Boulevard and Alta Drive.

A miniature bus with a giant decal promoting Beers rolled through the library parking lot as voters entered and exited the building.

But the incumbent didn’t win the support of Ward 2 resident Mary Pat Ryan. The 62-year-old cast her vote for Seroka and said she didn’t trust Beers, especially after her mailbox was inundated with campaign fliers that she described as “rude and crude.”

“It got to where I didn’t want to open the mailbox,” she said.

Relief from campaign mailers is in sight, though. The polls close at 7 p.m. in Las Vegas.

Henderson, North Las Vegas and Boulder City are also holding municipal elections today.

 

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For those thinking they had a break from politics at the close of the 79th Legislature — not so fast. Tuesday marks Election Day in Southern Nevada.

Surprised? You’re likely not alone.

Voter turnout tends to be low for municipal elections, in part because they don’t align with other higher-profile races in even-numbered years that lure people to the polls. What that means: Registered voters forget about the municipal races or don’t care, leaving decisions to the small number of concerned citizens who do cast ballots.

The situation has led to calls for moving the municipal elections to even-numbered years — a change that could save money and harness the momentum of other elections happening at the same time. Washoe County already made the change, but so far, Southern Nevada municipalities have not, hence the elections occurring in Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas and Boulder City.

“I wish we could change that,” said Michele Fiore, who’s running against Kelli Ross for the Ward 6 Las Vegas City Council seat. “I would much prefer to have the municipals with the other elections. I think our turnout would be better.”

Early voting for the municipal elections, which ended Friday, drew 24,219 people total to the polls. Another 7,068 people participated via absentee ballots, according to reports generated by the Clark County Election Department. Based on the total number of active voters in those municipalities — 596,741 people — that amounts to a roughly 5 percent participation rate for absentee and early voting.

That’s why many candidates focused on their ground game — knocking on doors and meeting potential voters face to face — during the waning days of the campaign.

Las Vegas — Ward 6 City Council seat

“It’s really all about the one on one with everybody,” Ross said last week, describing her strategy for the final days of the campaign. “It’s a lot of educating. You’re basically getting them to understand that a City Council race has to do with their everyday lives.”

Ross, whose husband, Steve, currently holds the Ward 6 council seat, and Fiore, a former assemblywoman, emerged as the voter favorites during the primary election in April. Because neither of them secured the majority, they’re facing off Tuesday in what’s expected to be a tight race for the nonpartisan council seat.  (Fiore earned roughly 46 percent of the votes in the primary, while Ross received about 31 percent.)

Last week, the Clark County Democratic Party filed a complaint with the Nevada Secretary of State’s Office, alleging that Fiore may have misappropriated campaign contributions for personal use. The Election Integrity Violation report stems from a consulting company, Politically Off The Wall, on Fiore's campaign contributions and expenses report that lists her home address.

“Given the information presented, it appears Candidate Fiore is attempting to ‘pay herself’ out of campaign funds,” the complaint states. The Nevada Progressive Coalition filed a similar complaint.

Ross, a registered Democrat and Allegiant Air employee, said she was not involved in filing the complaint but noted that Fiore’s actions regarding her campaign expenses seemed “questionable.”

Fiore, who’s known for her blunt candor, called the allegation “bogus” and said it reeked of desperation. The conservative former state lawmaker said she listed her home address because her house serves as campaign headquarters.

The Secretary of State’s Office has not ruled on the complaints. A spokesperson said they remain under review.

Despite the heated race between Ross and Fiore, the two did not engage in any public debate leading up to the general election. Ross lamented the lack of public discourse, saying she challenged her opponent to six debates and would have been “more than happy” to talk about all the issues. Fiore, however, said she purposely chose not to participate in a debate with Ross because of the lack of substance she predicted would ensue.

“Kelli will not answer the hard questions, period,” Fiore said. “Kelli just wants to talk about me.”

For all their differences, the women shared a similar approach in the days leading up to the election — canvassing Ward 6 neighborhoods and making more calls to potential voters. Both candidates also shied away from making any bold declarations about their chances in the election.

Ross: “Every single vote matters. I’m the first to admit that this is going to be a very close race.”

Fiore: “I never count my chickens before they hatch. I don’t ever take one vote for granted.”

A total of 5,367 people in Ward 6 already have voted via early voting or absentee ballots, including 2,020 Democrats, 2,479 Republicans and 868 nonpartisan voters, according to data from the Clark County Election Department.

Las Vegas — Ward 2 City Council seat

The other Las Vegas council seat up for grabs is in Ward 2, where a development controversy has been brewing for more than a year. The race pits incumbent Bob Beers, who has held the Ward 2 council seat since he won a special election in March 2012, against Steve Seroka, an Air Force veteran.

The battle over the fate of the shuttered Badlands Golf Club, which is nestled among the high-end Queensridge neighborhood, has defined this race from the start. In the run-up to the primary election, Seroka and former candidate Christina Roush, blasted Beers over his willingness to let development occur on the land. Beers, however, has maintained that the city gave the land owner the right to develop it decades ago.

Even so, Beers captured roughly 43 percent of the votes in the crowded primary race, followed by Seroka (29 percent), Roush (26 percent) and Laura Feher (2 percent). That left Beers and Seroka heading to the general election.

Voters will decide who the next Ward 2 councilman will be on the same day the Las Vegas Planning Commission considers and possibly votes on a development agreement for the now-closed golf course, which sits at the corner of Rampart Boulevard and Alta Drive in the western valley. The proposal calls for a mix of multi-family dwellings, single-family homes on large lots, assisted-living apartments and a non-gaming boutique hotel.

Seroka did not return a request for an interview. Beers said the timing of the two events — the general election and the Planning Commission’s likely vote on the development agreement — was out of his control.

Beers said he’s not dwelling on the matter and, instead, is focusing on making sure his constituents know where to vote. The county debuted voting centers this year as opposed to traditional polling locations, such as neighborhood churches or schools, to save money, Beers said.

“I can assure you it will hurt turnout,” Beers said, although he acknowledged the disadvantage will be mutual for both candidates.

Beers joked that the mailman is probably most ready for the election to be over because of the large volumes of campaign mailers flowing through Ward 2 neighborhoods.

“It’s been a quieter campaign season for people who aren’t within the targeted wards because almost all the money in the campaign has been spent on mail or knocking on doors,” he said. “Unless you’re a voter in that district, you don’t see very much of the campaign.”

Only Las Vegas residents who live within the Wards 2 and 6 can vote in those races. But all Las Vegas residents can cast ballots for in the city’s judicial race.

Las Vegas — Municipal Court Judge Department 3

Las Vegas Municipal Court Judge Heidi Almase is trying to retain her seat on the Department 3 bench. Her challenger is Cara Campbell, a chief deputy district attorney in Clark County.

Like many judicial races, the campaign had been relatively quiet — until Almase found herself in the center of a controversy last week that led to her issuing an apology.

Her campaign released two advertising pieces last week, both of which came under heavy criticism. One was a photo showing Almase with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, accompanied by a statement of his support and signature. After the photo’s legitimacy was questioned, Almase asked her campaign manager, Jennifer Barrier, for written documentation showing verbal consent was given for it, the judge wrote in a press release. Almase terminated Barrier as her campaign manager when she was unable to produce such documentation.

Almase’s campaign also released a mailer that included a statement questioning Campbell’s trustworthiness because “she’s married to an attorney who keeps criminals on the street.” She subsequently apologized to the defense bar for the content of the mailer.

“I have the utmost respect for the attorneys of the criminal defense bar and the challenging work they daily do to ensure due process standards are adhered to in our courts,” Almase said in a statement. “They, and the public, have my apologies for the distribution of the mailer.”

Almase declined an interview request, saying via email that she was knocking on doors and making calls ahead of the election. Campbell was doing the same but referred The Nevada Independent to her campaign manager, Tom Letizia.

“She’s really stayed away from this narrative that’s out there right now related to the dishonest campaign that her opponent has undertaken,” Letizia said of Campbell. “She’s a very positive person. That’s one thing I admire about Cara. She doesn’t like negative campaigning.”

Still, Letizia said he’s concerned about how many residents cast their ballots for the judicial race before the controversy surrounding Almase’s advertisements occurred. The events call into question Almase’s ability to be fair, balanced and impartial as a judge, he said.

More than 15,800 Las Vegas residents participated in early voting or cast an absentee ballot, according to data from the Clark County Election Department.

“Generally, these campaigns are kept fairly clean, but Almase took this to another level,” Letizia said. “We were very disappointed.”

While Las Vegas boasts three heated municipal races, other candidates are vying for city council seats in Henderson, North Las Vegas and Boulder City. Here’s a look at what’s up for votes in those jurisdictions:

Henderson: Incumbent John Marz and his challenger, Carrie Cox, square off for the Ward 3 City Council seat in Henderson. All Henderson voters can participate.

Cox’s campaign website describes her as a “business woman who has extensive experience in early childhood, elementary, and adult education, revitalizing failing strip malls, is a restaurant owner, and has a paralegal background.”

Marz, whose background is in advertising, was appointed to the Henderson City Council in January 2012 and was re-elected in 2013.

North Las Vegas: Scott Black, a small business owner, is vying for the Ward 3 City Council seat held by his opponent, Anita Wood, who has served two terms. Only voters living in Ward 3 can participate in this contest.

Boulder City: Voters will choose the next City Council member at large from this group of four candidates: Warren Harhay, Kiernan McManus, John Milburn and Cam Walker.

Boulder City also has two ballot questions for voters to consider. One ballot question involves a possible amendment to the city’s Controlled Growth Management Plan; the other asks voters whether they would like a public-access interchange at the intersection of Buchanan Boulevard and Interstate 11. It’s an advisory question only.

All Boulder City voters can cast votes for the City Council race and ballot questions.

Feature photo: A sign promoting early voting for the Las Vegas Municipal General Election is seen outside City Hall on Wednesday, June 7, 2017. Early voting for the municipal elections ended Friday. The General Election is Tuesday. Photo by Jeff Scheid.