ELECTIONS

Las Vegas City Charter art. V

in effect

Las Vegas City Charter, art. V, § 5.010 Primary municipal elections.

Sec. 5.010 - Primary municipal elections. 1. A primary municipal election must be held in the City: (a) On the first Tuesday after the first Monday in April 2019; and (b) Beginning in 2022, on the second Tuesday in June of each even-numbered year. 2. In the primary municipal elections: (a) The candidates for Council Member who are to be nominated must be nominated and voted for separately according to the respective wards. (b) If the City Council has established an additional department or departments of the Municipal Court pursuant to section 4.010 and, as a result, more than one office of Municipal Judge is to be filled at any election, the candidates for those offices must be nominated and voted upon separately according to the respective departments. 3. Each candidate for municipal office must file a declaration of candidacy with the City Clerk. All filing fees collected by the City Clerk must be paid into the City Treasury. 4. If, in the primary municipal election, regardless of the number of candidates for an office, one candidate receives a majority of votes which are cast in that election for the office for which he or she is a candidate, he or she must be declared elected for the term which commences on the day of the first regular meeting of the City Council next succeeding the meeting at which the canvass of the returns is made, and no general municipal election need be held for that office. If, in the primary municipal election, no candidate receives a majority of votes which are cast in that election for the office for which he or she is a candidate, the names of the two candidates who receive the highest number of votes must be placed on the ballot for the general municipal election. (Amended by the Nevada Legislature, 1991; 1997; 1999; 2011; 2019)

Las Vegas City Charter, art. V, § 5.020 General municipal election.

Sec. 5.020 - General municipal election. 1. On the second Tuesday after the first Monday in June 2019, there must be elected, at a general municipal election held for that purpose, the Mayor and Council Members from odd-numbered wards who shall hold office until their successors have been elected and qualified pursuant to subsection 4. 2. On the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November 2022, and at each successive interval of 4 years, there must be elected, at a general municipal election held for that purpose, the Council Members from even-numbered wards who shall hold office for a period of 4 years and until their successors have been elected and qualified. 3. On the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November 2022, and at each successive interval of 6 years, there must be elected, at a general municipal election held for that purpose, Municipal Judges for Departments 1, 4 and 6 who shall hold office for a period of 6 years and until their successors have been elected and qualified. 4. On the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November 2024, and at each successive interval of 4 years, there must be elected, at a general municipal election held for that purpose, the Mayor and Council Members from odd-numbered wards who shall hold office for a period of 4 years and until their successors have been elected and qualified. 5. On the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November 2024, and at each successive interval of 6 years, there must be elected, at a general municipal election held for that purpose, Municipal Judges for Departments 2, 3 and 5 who shall hold office for a period of 6 years and until their successors have been elected and qualified. 6. All candidates for elective office, except the office of Council Member, must be voted upon by the registered voters of the City at large. (Amended by the Nevada Legislature, 2011; 2015; 2019)

Las Vegas City Charter, art. V, § 5.030 Applicability of state election laws; elections under City Council's control.

Sec. 5.030 - Applicability of state election laws; elections under City Council's control. 1. All elections held under this Charter must be governed by: (a) The provisions of NRS 293.5772 to 293.5887, inclusive, which supersede and preempt any conflicting provisions of this Charter; and (b) All other provisions of the election laws of this State, so far as those laws can be made applicable and are not inconsistent with the provisions of this Charter. 2. The conduct of all municipal elections is under the control of the City Council. The City Council shall prescribe by ordinance all of the regulations which it considers are desirable and consistent with law and this Charter for the conduct of municipal elections, for the prevention of fraud in those elections and for the recount of ballots in cases of doubt or fraud. (Amended by the Nevada Legislature, 2019)

Las Vegas City Charter, art. V, § 5.040 Qualifications, registration of electors.

Sec. 5.040 - Qualifications, registration of electors. 1. Each person who is a resident of the city at the time of holding any municipal election and whose name appears upon the official register of voters in and for the city is entitled to vote at that municipal election, whether special, primary or general, and for all of the officers who are to be voted for and on all of the questions that may be submitted to the people at that special, primary or general election, except as is otherwise provided in this article. 2. The city council may provide for supplemental registration.

Las Vegas City Charter, art. V, § 5.050 Names on ballots.

Sec. 5.050 - Names on ballots. 1. The full names of all of the candidates, except those who have withdrawn, died or become ineligible, must be printed on the official ballots without party designation or symbol. 2. If two or more candidates have the same name or names which are so similar as likely to cause confusion and: (a) None of them is an incumbent, their middle names or middle initials, if any, must be included in their names as printed on the ballots; or (b) One of them is an incumbent, the name of the incumbent must be listed first and must be printed in bold type. (Ch. 517, Stats. 1983 p. 1415; A—Ch. 312, Stats. 2003 p. 1730)

Las Vegas City Charter, art. V, § 5.060 Ballots for ordinances and charter amendments.

Sec. 5.060 - Ballots for ordinances and charter amendments. An ordinance or charter amendment which is to be voted on in the city must be presented for voting by ballot title. The ballot title of a measure may differ from its legal title, but must be a clear and concise statement which describes the substance of the measure without argument or prejudice. Below the ballot title must appear the following question: "Shall the above described (ordinance) (charter amendment) be adopted?" The ballot, voting machine or voting device must be marked in such a way as to indicate clearly in what manner the voter may cast his vote, either for or against the ordinance or charter amendment.

Las Vegas City Charter, art. V, § 5.070 Availability of lists of registered voters.

Sec. 5.070 - Availability of lists of registered voters. If, for any purpose which relates to a municipal election or to the candidates or issues which are involved in that election, any organization, group or person requests a list of the registered voters of the city, the department, office or agency which has custody of the official register of voters, except as otherwise provided in NRS 293.5002 and 293.558 shall either permit that organization, group or person to copy the voters' names and addresses from the official register of voters or furnish the list upon payment of the fee which is prescribed in chapter 293 of NRS. (Ch. 517, Stats. 1983 p. 1416; A — Ch. 581, Stats. 2001 p. 2971; Ch. 470, Stats. 2005 p. 2304)

Las Vegas City Charter, art. V, § 5.080 Watchers and challengers.

Sec. 5.080 - Watchers and challengers. A candidate may, upon written application to the election authorities at least 5 days before the election, appoint two persons to represent him as watchers and challengers at each polling place at which voters may cast their ballots for the office for which he is a candidate. Each person who has been appointed has all of the rights and privileges which are prescribed for watchers and challengers under the election laws of the state. The watchers and challengers may exercise their rights throughout the voting and until the ballots have been counted.

Las Vegas City Charter, art. V, § 5.090 Voting machines.

Sec. 5.090 - Voting machines. The city council may provide for the use of mechanical or other devices for voting or for counting the votes, or both, which are not inconsistent with the law or the regulations of the Secretary of State.

Las Vegas City Charter, art. V, § 5.100 Election returns; canvass; declaration of results; certificates of election; entry of officers upon duties; procedure for tied vote.

Sec. 5.100 - Election returns; canvass; declaration of results; certificates of election; entry of officers upon duties; procedure for tied vote. 1. The returns of any special, primary or general municipal election must be filed with the City Clerk, who shall immediately place those returns in a safe or vault, and no person may be permitted to handle, inspect or in any manner interfere with those returns until they have been canvassed by the City Council. 2. The City Council shall meet within the time set forth in NRS 293C.387 after any election and canvass the returns and declare the result. The election returns must then be sealed and kept by the City Clerk for 6 months, and no person may have access to the returns except on order of a court of competent jurisdiction or by order of the City Council. 3. The City Clerk, under his hand and official seal, shall issue to each person who is declared to be elected a certificate of election. The officers who have been elected shall qualify and enter upon the discharge of their respective duties on the day of the first regular meeting of the City Council next succeeding the meeting at which the canvass of the returns is made. 4. If the election for any office results in a tie, the City Council shall summon the candidates who received the equal number of votes and determine the tie by lot. The Clerk shall then issue to the winner a certificate of election. (Amended by the Nevada Legislature, 1991; 2019)

Las Vegas City Charter, art. V, § 5.110 Special elections: Registration of electors.

Sec. 5.110 - Special elections: Registration of electors. 1. If a question is to be submitted to the registered voters of the city at a municipal or state primary or general election, no notice of registration of electors is required other than that which is required by the election laws of the state for that election. If the question is to be submitted at a special municipal election, the city clerk shall at the expense of the city, cause to be published at least once a week for 5 consecutive weeks by 5 weekly insertions 1 week apart, the first publication to be not more than 60 days, nor less than 45 days next preceding the election, a notice which has been signed by him to the effect that registration for the special election will be closed on the date which is designated in the notice, as provided in this section. 2. Except as provided in this subsection, the office of the city clerk must be open for the special election from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays, with legal holidays excepted, for the registration of any qualified elector.

Las Vegas City Charter, art. V, § 5.120 Special elections: Notice of election.

Sec. 5.120 - Special elections: Notice of election. 1. The city clerk shall cause a notice of a special municipal election to be published at least once a week for 2 consecutive weeks by 2 weekly insertions 1 week apart, the first publication to be not more than 14 days nor less than 8 days next preceding the special election. 2. The notice of the special election must contain: (a) The date and places of holding the election. (b) The hours during the day in which the polls will be open, which must be the same as are provided for general elections. (c) A statement of the question in substantially the same form as it will appear on the official ballot.

Las Vegas City Charter, art. V, § 5.130 Special elections: Consolidation of voting precincts; qualification of voters; costs.

Sec. 5.130 - Special elections: Consolidation of voting precincts; qualification of voters; costs. 1. The city clerk may consolidate or otherwise modify voting precincts for any special municipal election and shall designate the polling places, appoint the officers of the election for each precinct in such number as he may determine, and fix the respective duties and compensation of those officers. 2. Any qualified elector who is properly registered is qualified to vote at the special election. 3. The costs of any special election must be paid by the city. 4. An officer of the election who is eligible to receive compensation fixed pursuant to subsection 1 may choose to work in such a position as a volunteer who receives no compensation. (Assembly Bill No. 491)

Las Vegas City Charter, art. V, § 5.140 Continuation of certain officers.

Sec. 5.140 - Continuation of certain officers. 1. The Municipal Judges for Departments 1, 4 and 6 elected at the general municipal election held in June 2015 shall continue in office until the general municipal election, and qualification thereafter, of their successors pursuant to subsection 3 of section 5.020. 2. The Municipal Judges for Departments 2, 3 and 5 elected at the general municipal election held in June 2017 shall continue in office until the general municipal election, and qualification thereafter, of their successors pursuant to subsection 5 of section 5.020. 3. The Council Members from even-numbered wards elected at the general municipal election held in June 2017 shall continue in office until the general municipal election, and qualification thereafter, of their successors pursuant to subsection 2 of section 5.020. (Added by the Nevada Legislature, 2019)

Source: City of Las Vegas, Municipal Code and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/nv/las_vegas/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=LAVECH_ARTVELFetched: 10/28/2026