Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske (R) in her capacity as Nevada’s chief elections officer, on July 12 certified that the petitions returned for The Energy Choice Initiative are sufficient and will appear on the 2016 general election ballot in the Silver State.
In addition, pursuant to NAC 293.090 provisions on elections, Secretary Cegavske has designated the petition as Question Number 3 on the ballot. The wording of the petition “prohibits a legalized monopoly for electricity utility generation and gives Nevada electric utility customers the right to choose their service provider from an open retail market based upon price, reliability, and other important factors. This includes the right for these persons, businesses, associations, and other entities …. to produce their own electricity from renewable energy sources …, and to sell that electricity on the open market.”
Further, “This petition directs the Legislature to enact laws providing for the establishment of an open competitive electricity market by not later than July 1, 2023. It also directs the Legislature to set standards for safety, reliability, use of renewable resources, and protections for customers, but does not set or secure any certain price or rate structure.”
Petitioners were required to collect and submit 55,234 valid signatures from registered Nevada voters, including at least 13,809 signatures in each of the state’s four petition districts to meet requirements. In all, 76,876 valid signatures were submitted. Only registered voters of the county and petition district where the petitions were circulated were qualified to sign the petitions.
The Nevada Secretary of State’s Office now will start appointing people to serve on a ballot question committee and to develop the arguments for and against the ballot question. These arguments, as well as other relevant information, will be printed in the sample ballots delivered to all registered voters before the general election on November 8.
