Attorney general supports term-limit challenge

Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto petitioned the Nevada Supreme Court on Tuesday in an effort to resolve the term-limit challenges facing many candidates for public office throughout the state, including Douglas County.

In 1996, Nevadans approved a constitutional amendment limiting the terms of service for certain public officers to 12 years.

Article 15, Section 3 of the Nevada Constitution states, "No person may be elected to any state office or local governing body who has served in that office, or at the expiration of his current term if he is so serving will have served, 12 years or more, unless the permissible number of terms or duration of service is otherwise specified in this Constitution."

"The will of the voters is clear from the results of two general elections," Masto wrote in her brief.

"The voters added term limits to Nevada's Constitution to restrict the service of officials to 12 years. While the service of Nevada's devoted officials must be applauded, the voters' will must be faithfully enforced.

The formal filing with the Supreme Court was an emergency petition for writ of mandamus on behalf of Secretary of State Ross Miller compelling respondents Dan Burk, registrar of voters for Washoe County; Harvard L. Lomax, registrar of voters for Clark County; and Kelly G. Helton, Churchill County clerk to perform their duty by excluding from their respective ballots the names of certain candidates who are precluded by the Nevada Constitution from serving additional terms of service.

In an affidavit submitted with the court filing, Miller stated that the ballots for the primary and general elections must be prepared in a sufficient amount of time prior to the election dates of Aug.12, and Nov. 4, in order to have the ballots finalized for the voting machines and for the mailing of absentee and sample ballots.