Update: Filing begins for 2024 election

No races resulted from the first day of filing for nonjudicial office in Douglas County.

A full slate of candidates filed for the four seats on the Douglas County School Board, including appointed board member Yvonne Wagstaff, Erinn Miller, Markus Zinke and Melinda Gneiting, according to the Douglas County Clerk-Treasurer’s Office.

School Board Districts 1, 3, 4 and 5 are up in this cycle. Those seats are currently held by Yvonne Wagstaff, Doug Englekirk, Carey Kangas and Linda Gilkerson.

Because the school board is nonpartisan, whether it appears on the primary will depend on how many people file for each seat. If someone received a plurality of votes equal to 50 percent plus one, they could win in the primary. With only two per race, the election would be decided in the general.

Only two of the three seats on the board of county commissioners were spoken for on Monday, with District 3 Commissioner Mark Gardner first in line to file for re-election.

Also filing for County Commissioner Danny Tarkanian’s District 1 seat was Douglas County Republican Party Chairman and Gardnerville Ranchos General Improvement District Trustee James McKalip. Tarkanian hasn’t announced his plans.

District 5 Commissioner Walt Nowosad told his fellow commissioners he’s not seeking another term. Because county commissioner is a partisan office it will almost certainly be decided in the primary.

Down ballot, term-limited Minden-Gardnerville Sanitation District Trustee Barbara Smallwood filed for one of the two open seats on the Gardnerville Town Board. Smallwood served on the board in 1989-1992 before being elected to a term as a county commissioner.

Town board members Lloyd Higuerra and Mary Wenner are themselves term limited.

Another one-term commissioner, Steve Thaler, filed for re-election to the Minden Town Board.

There are 85 positions up for election this year across the county, including a majority of seats on both the county commission and school board. The vast majority of those seats are on the various district boards across the county. 

Election day for the Primary is June 11 and for the General is Nov. 5.

On Monday, the Nevada Secretary of State’s Office updated voter registration totals.

According to the site, there are 42,404 voters in Douglas County, of which 21,575 are Republicans and 7,939 are Democrats. There are 10,149 unaffiliated voters registered in the county.

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County Commissioner Mark Gardner was the first candidate to file for the 2024 election.

The Topaz Ranch Estates Republican is seeking re-election to the District 3 seat, which includes all of the south county and stretches up to Buckeye in Minden east of Highway 395.

Gardner announced he was seeking re-election in January.

Clerk-Treasurer Amy Burgans said 19 people have appointments to file on Monday. Of those 11 are in Minden, and eight are at the Stateline offices of the Clerk’s Office. Filing is open through 5 p.m. March 15.

There are 85 positions up for election this year across the county, including three commissioner and four school board seats.

District 1 and District 5 commissioner seats are up for election on the county board. Commissioners are elected at-large, but must live in their district. 

District 5 Commissioner Walt Nowosad has told his fellow commissioners he’s not seeking another term, but he could change his mind. 

District 1 Commissioner Danny Tarkanian hasn’t announced his plans. Gardnerville Ranchos General Improvement District trustee James McKalip filed for the District 1 seat on Monday morning.

Because commissioner is a partisan office it will almost certainly be decided in the primary due to the significant majority of Republicans in the county.

School Board District 1, 3, 4 and 5 are up in this cycle. Those seats are currently held by Yvonne Wagstaff, Doug Englekirk, Carey Kangas and Linda Gilkerson.

Because the school board is nonpartisan, whether it appears on the primary will depend on how many people file for each seat. If someone received a plurality of votes equal to 50 percent plus one, they could win in the primary. With only two per race, the election would be decided in the general.

The vast majority of those seats are on the various district boards across the county.

Those filing for office must be registered voters and live within the geographic boundaries they seek to represent.

For more information about making an appointment to file run, visit govotedouglas.com

Election day for the Primary is June 11 and for the General is Nov. 5.

Visit www.nvsos.gov/votersearch/ by April 12 to opt out from receiving a mailed ballot.

The site also allows you to make changes to your voter information.

On Monday, the Nevada Secretary of State’s Office updated voter registration totals.

According to the site, there are 42,404 voters in Douglas County, of which 21,575 are Republicans and 7,939 are Democrats. There are 10,149 unaffiliated voters registered in the county.