Key Players

Throughout the history of reapportionment and redistricting in Nevada, there have been many notable individuals who have had an impact on the outcome of district plans. From those who advocated for the adoption of new redistricting criteria, to those who used their political power to advance or block certain plans, these key players from various reapportionment and redistricting cycles are highlighted below.

One provision of the Nevada Constitution, "[r]epresentation shall be apportioned according to population" by the decennial census, was routinely ignored prior to 1965. As notable United States Supreme Court cases regarding reapportionment swept across the nation, Clark County Assemblyman Flora Dungan and Clark County resident Clare W. Woodbury, M.D, filed suit in federal district court to challenge Nevada's apportionment schemes.

The lawsuit was filed against Nevada Governor Grant Sawyer, who had the power to call the Nevada Legislature into a special session if needed.

In court case Dungan v. Sawyer, Nevada federal Judges Roger D. Foley and Bruce Thompson, and Eisenhower appointee Stanley Barnes ruled that a special session was to be held to create a new redistricting plan.

The 1965 Special Session crafted a final plan consisting of multi-member districts in both the Senate and Assembly. Statistical tests of the final plan were conducted, and the judges ruled the plan was constitutional. However, they stated that the plan "is not the fairest and best plan that the Nevada Legislature could possibly enact."

As population-based apportionment was growing in acceptance among the 1971 Legislature, Republican Clark County Assemblyman Frank Young advocated for and helped establish single-member districts in the Assembly.

Through his careful preparation, energetic campaigning among colleagues, and parliamentary skill, he is credited with accomplishing this change.

The Senate was more hesitant to eliminate multi-member districts. This, combined with large disparities between population distribution, led to lawsuits.

Court cases Stewart v. O'Callaghan and Millspaugh v. O'Callaghan were consolidated by the U.S. District Court and heard in December 1971.

A decision was rendered on May 19, 1971, in which the court found that differences in the size and shape of districts between urban and rural areas were because of the unique demographic and geographic features of the state, and ultimately supported the redistricting plan.

However, population allocation errors in two Assembly districts were ordered to be corrected along with several population deviations in the 1973 Session.

Democratic control of the Assembly and Republican majority in the Senate proved to be difficult in developing district boundaries in 2001.

Long debates on increasing the size of the Legislature and the creation of a third congressional district led to a redistricting plan not being finalized during the 120-day session. Governor Kenny Guinn called for a special session to finish redistricting.

In 2011, Democrat representatives had majority control in both houses of the state Legislature, but their margin was not great enough to override any veto from Republican Governor Brian Sandoval.

Redistricting was not completed during the 120-day regular session, although two redistricting bills, one from each house, were passed. However, both bills were vetoed by the governor and returned to the Legislature, where no further action was taken. Governor Sandoval indicated that he would not call the Legislature into a special session and therefore the task fell to the courts.

District Court Judge James T. Russel appointed three special masters to accomplish redistricting in Guy et al., v. Miller.

The special masters were:

Thomas R. Sheets—an attorney with a private law firm in Las Vegas who had various previous governmental experience and appointments;

Alan H. Glover—the elected County Clerk/Recorder for Carson City; and

Robert E. Erickson—a retired Director of the Research Division of Nevada's Legislative Counsel Bureau.

The special masters' plan was submitted on October 14, approved on October 27, and officially adopted on December 8, 2011, when no appeals were filed to the court.

For the first time ever, all districts in both houses were single member. And due to the state's population growth, Nevada was apportioned a fourth representative to the United Stated House of Representatives.