As we continue to update the results coming in from the 2026 mid-term primaries, let’s take a look at our current political landscape — and who can and cannot take part.
Impatient? Jump straight to the updated numbers:
Preliminary numbers from the 2026 primary election results in Carson City as well as throughout the silver state are showing low turnouts in line with recent year trends, though capital city voters are typically better about casting midterm votes compared with the rest of the state.
Nevada has historically been a “purple” state, meaning we don’t always lean towards progressive or conservative candidates. It’s what makes us a swing state.
But in recent years, the political make up of Nevada has blurred even further as more and more Battle Borns are turning away from the two-party system entirely.
A quick refresher: non-partisan means a voter has chosen not to subscribe to any party, but still wants to be able to vote. A third-party voter means they are registered with a party other than the two major parties, i.e. Republican or Democrat.
The number of active registered voters who are registered either non-partisan or to a third party has nearly doubled since 2014, surging from 283,250 to 919,649 — a 225% increase.
Now, some of that is because individuals are able to automatically register to vote at the DMV when they get their licenses, and if they do not select a party, are placed into the non-partisan category.
However, (intentionally-selected) third party registrations have experienced a significant increase on their own, climbing from 60,639 third-party registrations in 2012 to 131,776 in 2026, a 117.3% increase.
So, are these all due to new voters being registered? Not exactly — some of those numbers account for new voters, but both the Democrat and Republican Party have been leaking percentages year over year even while individual numbers have increased.
In 2012, Democrats made up 40.9% of all active voters, while Republicans made up 37.2%.
In 2016, those switched to 39% and 35% respectively.
In 2020, it had slipped to 38% for Democrats and 33% for Republicans.
As of May 2026, Democrats sit at a historic low of 27.7% of total registered voter counts, while Republicans have similarly dropped to 27.8%.
Currently, Carson City sits at 23.6% and 36.9%, respectively. Meanwhile, non-partisan and third-party registered voters have officially beat out the two major parties with 39% of total registrations.
Younger voters lean significantly away from the two-party system in comparison with their elders. Only 20% of 18-24 year olds are registered Democrat, dropping to only 13.6% registering Republican.
Meanwhile, those over the age of 65 are far more partisan, with 32.6% registered Democrat, and 38.9% registered Republican.
So, what does this all mean? More and more voters, especially those who are of the Gen Z and Millennial generations, are exploring third-party systems. It’s a national trend, as all Americans, but especially those under the age of 35, report growing more disillusioned with politics each year.
According to the Pew Research Center, this is attributed to an extremely polarized political divide, which is significantly wider than in the past, and can be summed up as:
“More than eight-in-ten Americans (86%) say the following is a good description of politics: ‘Republicans and Democrats are more focused on fighting each other than on solving problems.’”
But when it comes to the silver state, it means that those who choose to register as something other than Republican or Democrat are shut out from the primaries.
The practical effect is that many voters receive thin primary ballots, and some receive no meaningful primary choices at all. The Nevada Independent reported that nonpartisan voters cannot vote in party primaries, though they can vote in many local government and judicial races. For us here in Carson City this year, there were no nonpartisan races for those voters — meaning nearly 40% of active voters are unable to participate.
While in 2022, Nevadans voted in favor of a constitutional amendment that would have created open top-five primaries and ranked-choice voting for many general-election contests. However, it needed a second vote to become law — and failed in 2024. Lawmakers passed AB 597 in 2025, which would have allowed nonpartisan voters to request a Democratic or Republican primary ballot, but Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoes the bill.
For now, that means that here in Carson City, nearly 40% of voters are unable to vote in primaries unless non-partisan offices are on the ballot, which explains the low turnouts we see each year compared with total active voter numbers. As of Tuesday night, 14,177 voters have cast a ballot — but, when taking into consideration how many votes are allowed to vote in this election, it actually accounts for nearly 43%, which is currently leading the state in turnout.
We will continue to update the numbers as they come in through June 15, but for now, these numbers are accurate as of 11 p.m. June 9, 2026.
Carson City Numbers
District 2 (D): Teresa Benitez-Thompson 46.87% , 23.77% Robert “Greg” Kidd
District 2 (R): James Settelmeyer 43.62%, David Flippo 40.18%
Governor (D): Aaron Ford 62.55%, Alexis Hill 25.65%
Governor (R): Joe Lombardo 91.45%, None 2.89%
Lieutenant Governor (D): Sandra Jauregui 64.33%, Courtney Burke 19.85%
Secretary of State (R): Shirley Folkins-Roberts 36.30%, Jim Marchant 26.91%
State Treasurer (D) TYA Mathis-Coleman 43.12%, Joe Dalia 42.59%
State Treasurer (R) Jeff Carter 45.49%, Drew Johnson 41.24%
State Controller (D) Robert. “Bob” Blackstock 42.17%, Michael MacDougall 37.76%
Attorney General (D): Nicole Jeanette Cannizzaro 62.77%, Zach Conine 33.14%
Attorney General (R) Adriana Guzman Fralick 63.76%, Danny Tarkanian 30.70%
State Senate District 16 (R) Lisa Kranser 64.59%, Monica Jaye Stabbert 35.41%
State Assembly District 40 (R) Julie Butler 53.15%, Stacy Woodbury 30.22%
Statewide Numbers
Governor (D): Aaron Ford 65.98%, Alexis Hill 21.16%
Governor (R): Joe Lombardo 90.94%, None 2.33%
Lieutenant Governor (D): Sandra Jauregui 61.02%, Courtney Burke 21.57%
Secretary of State (R): Jim Marchant 32.59%, Shirley Folkins-Roberts 31.76%
State Treasurer (D) TYA Mathis-Coleman 54.15%, Joe Dalia 32.25%
State Treasurer (R) Jeff Carter 44.23%, Drew Johnson 45.09%
State Controller (D) Michael MacDougall 45.43%, Robert. “Bob” Blackstock 33.31%
Attorney General (D): Nicole Jeanette Cannizzaro 61.88%, Zach Conine 34.19%
Attorney General (R) Adriana Guzman Fralick 59.27%, Danny Tarkanian 35.37%
