Primary election looms

Voting in Nevada's first statewide June primary starts on Saturday.

Voters had until Tuesday to choose their party and are now locked in for the duration of the election.

While Republicans' fight to pick a champion to face Sen. Harry Reid is grabbing national headlines, and the survival of Gov. Jim Gibbons is a statewide issue, we have two important races right here in Douglas County.

Whoever wins the primary for clerk-treasurer is almost certainly going to be Douglas County's chief election officer for the next four years.

The office is also responsible for court files, county commission minutes and a variety of other vital functions.

We list the race for Assembly District 39 second to the clerk-treasurer because there's no telling what the rest of the state will do.

The winner of the June 8 primary is more than likely to be Douglas County's representative in the Legislature.

The district which includes all of Douglas and snakes northward to Incline Village may see some drastic alteration during reapportionment if Republicans remain a minority party statewide.

Douglas can't change that on its own, but whoever wins that race will be on the front lines.

We realize that voting in May and June is a new experience for Nevada residents.

We hope that voters recognize the importance of the primary and participate in numbers that show the county's civic spirit.