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FACT BRIEF

Did a wave of Californians moving to Nevada make the state less red?

By Todd Butterworth
View this fact brief on The Nevada Independent
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NO

While the percentage of registered voters in Nevada identifying as Republican has decreased modestly in recent years, this is more attributable to residents leaving both parties in favor of a non-affiliated registration than California transplants tipping the scales.

Between 2008 and 2017, California was the leading source of new Nevada residents, with approximately 150,000 net residents moving from California. Between 2008 and 2022, Nevada's share of registered voters identifying as Republican dropped by about 5.5%. However, Nevada's share of registered voters identifying as Democrat declined even more: by 11%.

Nevadans overall have shifted their voter registrations away from the two major parties. In 2008, 20% of active voters were not affiliated with the Republicans or Democrats. As of October 2022, that percentage had increased to 37%, a plurality of voters. 

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Mercury News Californians moving to Nevada are changing the state's politics
Nevada Secretary of State Voter Registration Statistics | 11/1/2022
Nevada Secretary of State October 2017 Voter Registration Statistics
Nevada Secretary of State Voter Registration Figures | Close of Registration, General Election 2008
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The Nevada Independent
The Nevada Independent is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news and opinion website founded in 2017 by veteran political journalist and commentator Jon Ralston. The site and its supporting channels are focused on ethical, unbiased and transparent journalism. In general, we aim to gather and disseminate important public information and increase civic engagement. We are supported by corporate donations, memberships, event ticket sales and sponsorships and foundation grants. We disclose all our members and donors. Donors have no influence over our content, ever. The Nevada Independent is the dba for Nevada News Bureau, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 2010 by Elizabeth Thompson, who now serves as one of The Nevada Independent's managing directors and its Editor.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.