Online system registered 34,867 new voters

Total voter registration in Nevada increased by more than 48,000 in the past five weeks and 34,867 of those new voters registered online.

Another 22,139 existing voters updated their registration forms online between Sept. 1 and Oct. 6.

According to the Secretary of State's Elections Division, the state finished September with 1,449,377 total registered voters.

Within that total, Democrats led Republicans in overall registration by just less than 120,000 voters - 612,050 to 494,494.

There is still a week before the final close of registration Oct. 16. Between now and then, however, prospective voters must register in person at their county clerk's office.

The overall registration drive added 22,000 Democrats to the rolls from the end of August through the end of September and some 10,400 Republicans.

At the same time, non-partisan voters added more than 13,000 names to their rolls.

The increase in total registration since the primary is even more impressive - a gain of 89,753 since the end of May.

The Elections Division reported Carson City added a total of 801 new voters online with non-partisans leading at 250 of those. Democrats were second at 231 new voters and Republicans third with 213.

Churchill County added 332 new voters online with Republicans in the lead at 142 and non-partisans second at 100. Democrats trailed there with 52 new voters. Douglas County added 740 voters electronically - 249 Republicans, 228 non-partisans and 159 Democrats.

Online registration started small with just 102 the first day, Sept. 1. In the final six says before online shut down on Oct. 6, the number of new voters grew from 1,688 to a peak of 4,796 the final day. Another 2,908 voters updated their address or other information.

Many of those voters were attracted to the new online system by the nearly 400,000 postcards sent out using Help America Vote Act money. The secretary of state's office compared DMV records with the statewide voter roll to find eligible citizens who weren't yet registered.

That effort was accompanied by an $800,000 advertising campaign funded by the state.

Although the registration efforts are broken out by party affiliation, that isn't an issue once voters get past the state and federal offices.

In Carson City, all local officials run as non-partisan candidates. And, unlike their legislative counterparts, Board of Supervisors candidates run for a ward seat but are voted on by all voters in the city, not just residents of their ward.