2026Nevada Voter Guide

The board is composed of 13 elected regents who set policies and approve budgets for Nevada’s entire public system of higher education: four community colleges, one state university, two doctorate-granting research universities and one research institute. The Nevada System of Higher Education serves more than 100,000 students.

The board is also responsible for hiring the system’s chancellor and presidents for the institutions.

As in states across the country, colleges are facing pressure from a Trump administration suspicious of academia and challenges in proving the value of increasingly expensive college degrees.

The board recently faced backlash from students for voting to raise tuition and fees to address a looming budget shortfall attributed to faculty pay raises.

Two regents are running for re-election, and Regent Pete Goicoechea is running for his first full term after being appointed to the board in 2024.

The Washoe County Commission is the main governing body for Nevada’s second-largest county, where members have the authority to pass local laws. They are also tasked with certifying elections — a responsibility that came under fire after it initially voted against certifying recount results two years ago. The county also interacts with local municipalities, such as the Reno and Sparks city councils, and there is a growing desire to make services among those local governments more connected. Commissioners can serve three, four-year terms.

Three of the five seats are up for re-election this year, two of which will see a new commissioner. That includes an open seat in District 5 and in District 2, where incumbent Mike Clark lost re-election to Jon Killoran, a former broadcast journalist.

The Washoe County School Board is made up of seven elected members who oversee the district of nearly 60,000 students. They make budget and policy decisions, including approving pay raises for staff, and are responsible for hiring and managing the district’s superintendent, but they don’t direct day-to-day operational decisions for schools such as calling a snow day.

Like the Clark County School District, Washoe County schools are experiencing an enrollment decline, and the district recently lost its status as the second-largest district in the state as enrollment in charter schools has grown.

The enrollment decline has also meant less revenue, prompting the school board to look for areas of the budget to cut to avoid a deficit next year.

The district is also experiencing high superintendent turnover. The school board recently approved a new superintendent after Joe Ernst announced he was retiring.