Nevada Voters Get Option to Reject All Candidates
"None of these" a perennial protest choice on the ballot
When Nevada voters go to the polls in this key battleground state, their choices for president will include more than the familiar names. The last entry reads "None of These Candidates"—a unique option here that has so far survived a legal challenge by Republicans and remains popular among voters.
"The public loves having the option to express that they want to cast their ballot in favor of none of these candidates and simply send a message that all the politicians on the ballot need to clean up their act," Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller said.
Nevada introduced the protest vote in 1975 as a way to combat voter apathy in the wake of the Watergate scandal. Some experts say it may have affected elections like that of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. In 1998, he beat his Republican challenger by 400 votes, but "None of These Candidates" garnered 8,000 votes.