Independent Nevadans group forms to provide neutral platform for nonpartisans

Las Vegas resident and longtime nonpartisan voter Ash Mirchandani has been watching politics become increasingly divisive, and two months ago he decided to do something about it.

Mirchandani, the managing principal of government relations firm Kaizen Strategies, created the Coalition of Independent Nevadans to provide a neutral platform for the rising number of nonpartisan voters and encourage candidates to appeal to the more moderate voter.

Every issue has become a pawn in political gamesmanship, he said, from guns to gender to business to foreign policy.

“It’s just getting to the point where I felt it’s making us weak as a society. It’s damaging us,” said Mirchandani, who is also president of United Citizens Foundation, a nonprofit that provides mental health services for children.

The coalition has about nine to 10 members and adopted the slogan “People over party, policy over politics.” It aims to be the “sensible center,” Mirchandani,said, where nonpartisan voters can engage and learn about candidates in a neutral platform, hold candidates accountable and encourage would-be officeholders to appeal to nonpartisan voters.

“We want moderates. We want common sense,” Mirchandani said.

Rising segment

In Nevada, the percentage of nonpartisans has increased steadily over the years. In 2014, nonpartisan voters made up 18 percent of the electorate and grew to 29.4 percent as of September. Voters registered as nonpartisan or with a minor political party account for about 37 percent of all registered voters in Nevada, according to the Nevada secretary of state’s office.

Noah Herrera, vice chair of the Coalition of Independent Nevadans, said some people have been disenfranchised in the system, and his group aims to bring them together.

“The independent vote, no one’s worked for it,” Herrera said. “They focus on Republicans and Democrats. No one is going after that vote. They’re basically being left out in the cold.” He compared it to a parent who has three children but only pays attention to the first two.

Endorsements

The Coalition of Independent Nevadans’ first big task was issuing its endorsements for the 2022 midterms. The group interviewed the candidates it could and used a scoring system to come up with its endorsements. For the candidates who were not available for an interview, the coalition looked at each candidate’s profile, their accomplishments and bills they passed, Mirchandani said.

The candidates who passed muster include a mix of Democrats and Republicans, such as Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, Republican candidates for Congress including Mark Robertson and April Becker, as well as Democratic incumbent Rep. Steven Horsford.

The group also endorsed Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, a Republican, for governor, Democratic incumbent Attorney General Aaron Ford, Democratic incumbent Zach Conine for treasurer and Democrat Cisco Aguilar for secretary of state.

As a group aiming to represent a third of the electorate that is unable to participate fully in Nevada’s closed primary elections, the Coalition of Independent Nevadans encourages people to vote “yes” on Ballot Question 3, which would call for all voters — including nonpartisans — to participate in the primary election rather than separate ballots exclusive to each major party. It would also create a ranked-choice voting system for the general election in which voters would select candidates in order of preference.

“We need more moderate politicians than politicians on either side. That’s why the ranked choice question is so critical,” Mirchandani said.

Reaching out to nonpartisans

The Coalition of Independent Nevadans is also encouraging nonpartisans to vote by sending flyers and texts and posting paid advertisements on social media, Mirchandani said. After the 2022 midterms, the group will participate in the upcoming legislative session and advocate for issues important to its members, such as supporting small businesses.

The Coalition of Independent Nevadans plans to arrange listening sessions where politicians can talk with nonpartisan voters, answer questions and explain what they are doing about different issues.

“What we’re looking at are moderates, people who work with each other to get the job done. We’re going to hold them accountable. We’ll do the same thing the next cycle,” Mirchandani said.

“We want to engage independents and nonpartisans. If I want to see a certain candidate, I have to go through a Democrat or Republican event. We need a neutral platform,” Herrera said.

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on Twitter.