WHAT THESE OFFICES DO
All the candidates on your ballot matter! Often times the state and local elected officials have a bigger impact on our everyday lives. Take a moment and learn more about the candidates up for election and see how every vote on your ballot makes a difference. Don’t just stop at the top!
All candidate profiles have been updated in accordance with the Secretary of State and county election results websites.
US Senate
The Senate, which is the upper house of our federal legislature, votes on federal laws and budgets, including Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, national defense, transportation, and more. This office confirms various judicial nominations and the Cabinet for the president, as well as other executive appointments.
Term Limit: None
How Often Re-elected: Every 6 years
US Congress
The House of Representatives, which is the lower house of the federal legislature, represents smaller districts within states and also makes the nation’s laws, just like the Senate. Congress shares power with the executive branch, led by the president, and the judicial branch, whose highest body is the Supreme Court of the United States. Of the three branches of government, Congress, or the legislative branch, is the only one elected directly by the people.
Term Limit: None
How Often Re-elected: Every 2 years
Governor
The governor is an elected constitutional officer, commander-in-chief of the state, and the first ranking officer of the state military forces and executive branch of the state. This elected representative appoints department heads and members of boards and commissions. The governor also has the power to sign laws into place or veto bills from the Nevada State Legislature.
Term Limit: 2 terms
How Often Re-elected: Every 4 years
Lieutenant Governor
The lieutenant governor is an elected constitutional officer, the second ranking officer of the executive branch and the first officer in line to succeed the Governor of Nevada. The lieutenant governor is also a member of the governor’s cabinet and serves as President of the Nevada State Senate, where the lieutenant governor may cast tie-breaking votes.
Term Limit: 2 terms
How often Re-elected: Every 4 years
Secretary Of State
The secretary of state is a constitutional officer, the third ranking officer of the Nevada state government, and acts as the official record-keeper of the state of Nevada. This elected official also controls elections and maintains business records for the entire state.
Term Limit: 2 terms
How Often Re-elected: Every 4 years
Attorney General
The attorney general of Nevada is a constitutional officer, and the fourth ranking officer of the Nevada state government. The attorney general is the state’s chief law enforcement officer for the state of Nevada. He or she represents the people of Nevada in civil and criminal matters before trial, appellate, and the supreme courts of Nevada and the United States. The attorney general also serves as legal counsel to state officers and, with few exceptions, to state agencies, boards and commissions.
Term Limit: 2 terms
How Often Re-elected: Every 4 years
Treasurer
The treasurer is a constitutional officer and responsible for maintaining the state funds by investing and maintaining the state budget. The department’s main function is to invest state funds, manage college savings plans, keep records of unclaimed property and to ensure money is paid by the state as needed and sufficient records are maintained.
Term Limit: 2 terms
How Often Re-elected: Every 4 years
Controller
The controller of the state of Nevada is the chief fiscal officer of the government of Nevada. The controller is responsible for administering the state’s accounting system, registering vendors, settling all claims against the state, and collecting debts owed to the state.
Term Limit: 2 terms
How Often Re-elected: Every 4 years
State Senate
The State Senate forms the upper legislative branch of the Nevada state government, along with the State Assembly, and works alongside the governor of Nevada to create laws and establish a state budget. Legislative authority and responsibilities of the Nevada State Senate include passing bills on public policy matters, setting levels for state spending, raising and lowering taxes, and voting to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes. The Nevada State Senate meets in the state capitol complex in Carson City, Nevada.
Term Limit: 3 terms
How Often Re-elected: Every 4 years
STATE ASSEMBLY
The State Assembly forms the lower legislative branch of the Nevada state government and works alongside the governor of Nevada to create laws and establish a state budget. Legislative authority and responsibilities of the Nevada State Assembly include passing bills on public policy matters, setting levels for state spending, raising and lowering taxes, and voting to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes. The Senate and Assembly work together and are both a part of the state legislature. The Nevada State Assembly also meets in the state capitol complex in Carson City, Nevada.
Term Limit: 6 terms
How Often Re-elected: Every 2 years
State Board of Education
The state board of education is responsible for formulating policy standards to ensure that all students receive equal and equitable access to a high-quality education in a safe, respectful, and culturally responsive environment. This board also helps in advising the commissioner, and enforcing regulatory requirements. The board’s duties include making recommendations to the legislature and approving the formation of school administrative districts.
Term Limit: 6 terms
How Often Re-elected: Every 4 years
School District Trustees
School boards of trustees are chosen by the public to consider the needs of students and convert them into a vision, policies, and goals that will support student achievement. These responsibilities are fundamental to the function of the local school district and can only be accomplished by electing officials to do this job.
Term Limit: 3 terms
How Often Re-elected: Every 4 years
County Commission
County commissions are in charge of local services including parks, police and public safety, public transportation, water, zoning/development, roadways, and other issues. They oversee budgets and allocate funding for dozens of separate and distinct business functions, as well as manage the offices of the assessor, county clerk, treasurer, public administrator, and sheriff.
Term Limit: 12 terms
How Often Re-elected: Every 4 years
Nevada Supreme Court
The Supreme Court is the state’s highest court and its primary responsibility is to review and rule on appeals from District Court cases. The court does not conduct fact-finding trials; rather, the justices determine if legal or procedural errors were committed during the case. The Court may affirm, modify or reverse the judgment or order that was appealed.
Term: None
How Often Re-elected: Every 6 years
Nevada Court of Appeals
Appellate courts resolve cases by published opinion and unpublished order. Opinions become part of the State of Nevada’s case law and can be cited and relied on by lower courts, attorneys and the public. Unpublished orders apply only to the parties involved in the appeal. The Court of Appeals hears most matters that are not precedent-setting and take less time to prepare. This allows the Nevada Supreme Court to spend more time on the cases that merit published opinions and take more time to prepare.
Term Limit: None
How Often Re-elected: Every 6 years
Justice of the Peace
Nevada’s Justice Courts are limited jurisdiction courts handling matters detailed in Nevada Revised Statutes. In addition, Justice Courts preside over non-traffic misdemeanor, small claims, summary eviction, temporary protection, and traffic cases.
Term Limit: None
How Often Re-elected: Every 6 years
Municipal Court
Nevada has 17 municipal courts that are presided over by 30 municipal judges with 8 of them also serving as justices of the peace. The Justice Courts handle misdemeanor crime and traffic matters, small claims disputes, evictions, and other civil matters less than $15,000.
Term Limit: None
How Often Re-elected: Every 6 years
District Attorney
A district attorney is an elected official responsible for prosecuting crimes that occur within their jurisdiction. District attorneys may be elected by a county or some other designated district. These county officers have the power to conduct a grand jury investigation, decide whether to prosecute an offender, and offer plea bargains.
Term Limit: None
How Often Re-elected: Every 4 years
City Council
City Councils are the city’s primary legislative body. This body is responsible for adopting the city budget, approving mayoral appointees, levying taxes, and making or amending city laws, policies, and ordinances. The city council is made up of a various number of members and a mayor. While the mayor is elected at large, the other members are elected by the city’s districts.
Term Limit: 3 terms
How Often Re-elected: Every 4 years
Mayor
The mayor oversees the local government, or a body or group known as the city council. The duties of city mayors can include developing a budget, enforcing the laws, holding public meetings, managing city business, and proposing new policies.
Term Limit: 3 terms
How Often Re-elected: Every 4 years
Sheriff
The Sheriff’s Civil Process Section is composed of deputies who are full-time peace officers commissioned by the sheriff. The office of the Sheriff Civil Process Section acts as a messenger of the courts in all civil matters. Anything that is not a criminal act is a civil act. He or she performs a role similar to that of a police chief in a municipal department, managing a department in charge of protecting people and property and maintaining order.
Term Limit: None
How Often Re-elected: Every 4 years
Clark County Assessor
The assessor values all property subject to taxation. The assessor is required by Nevada law to discover, list, and value all property within the County. The property is assessed at 35% of its current appraised value.
Term Limit: None
How Often Re-elected: Every 4 years
Clark County City Clerk
The Office of the City Clerk exists to ensure the integrity of municipal governance through the administration of the electoral, legislative, and record-keeping processes. The department consists of three primary service divisions: Archives and Records Services; Council and Commission Services; and Elections and Administrative Services.
Term Limit: None
How Often Re-elected: Every 4 years
Clark County City Manager
A city manager oversees the day-to-day municipal operations and implements the city council’s policy and legislative initiatives.
Term Limit: 3 terms
How Often Re-elected: Every 4 years
Clark County Recorder
The recorder’s office provides for subsequent retrieval of records for public viewing, produces copies and certification of records. Real Property Transfer Tax is collected on transfers of real property.
Term Limit: None
How Often Re-elected: Every 4 years
Washoe County Public Administrator
An elected officer entrusted to oversee the administration of the estates of persons deceased in Washoe County who have no qualified person willing or able to administer.
Term Limit: None
How Often Re-elected: Every 4 years
City of Henderson Constable
Constables are statewide, constitutional, publicly elected peace officers under the statutes of the state. Constables are an integral part of the law enforcement community involved in the delivery of justice. Constables are elected for four years. They work on a fee plus mileage basis at no expense to the taxpayer.
Term Limit: None
How Often Re-elected: Every 4 year
City of Reno City Attorney
The city attorney’s office oversees all legal aspects of the city from the drafting of ordinances and legal opinions to the supervision of special counsel and the prosecution of violations including DUIs, drug offenses, domestic violence and traffic offenses that take place within city limits.
Term Limit: None
How Often Re-elected: Every 4 years
Disclaimer: There are many offices up for election statewide and we wanted to make sure Nevada voters knew what each office is and what it does. For candidate questions, it would be difficult for us to track down every single office beyond city council races. The added time investment of doing so would prevent us from releasing our voter guide for the public to view it in a timely manner before the 2022 Primary Election. We hope with added capacity in the future we will continue to go further down the ballot, as it is always our goal to keep expanding as we grow and move forward.
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