The Nevada Forum, By The Numbers
From March 11 to May 22, 2026, Nevadans answered this question: If Nevada’s state leaders and residents could solve one problem, what should it be?
Total Number of Visits
to Our Digital Platform
Total Actions Taken
Total Issues Submitted
Counties Represented
Based on Zip Code
Total Number of Contributors
Participation Across
Nevada
The data below is based on the 14,327 of the 30,618 contributors who provided their zip codes. 16,291 additional Nevadans contributed but did not provide a zip code.
Hover over a county to see the number of contributors from that area.
What Nevadans Want To Fix
When we asked what needs to be fixed, Nevadans contributed more than 708 issues, inspiring thousands more comments and reactions.
Tap a circle below to see what your fellow Nevadans said. (Note: Some duplicate submissions were removed or combined, and some issues fit in multiple categories.)
See the full issues dataset here.
- Housing, Economy & Cost of Living: 162
- Government Accountability, Elections & Civic Trust: 144
- Transportation & Infrastructure: 140
- Education, Youth & Workforce Development: 133
- Public Safety & Social Services: 122
- Environment, Water & Natural Resources: 119
- Healthcare, Public Health & Mental Health: 90
- Urban Planning & Development: 90
What Nevadans Agree On
Based on Nevadans’ inputs, we identified the top 20 issues informed by demographic and political consensus and shared them with the public on April 1, 2026.
Once again, Nevadans from across the state stepped up and 3,707 people selected what matters most. These are the results. See the full voting dataset here.
Voters with at least 1 issue in top 6
Voters with at least 1 issue in top 3
Rising Basic Living Costs Are Massive Burdens to Households
Food, gas, rent, and basic groceries are stretching Nevadans of all ages and incomes; the middle class describes feeling that any margin for error has disappeared.
Housing Is Unaffordable for Working Nevadans
Nevada's housing market is increasingly unaffordable, with rents outpacing wages, build-to-rent developments limiting homeownership opportunities, and corporate buyers acquiring a significant share of single-family homes, pricing out working-class residents, seniors, and young families.
Nevada Is the Driest State and Running Out of Water
Water scarcity is reaching a critical point, with declining surface water, collapsing ecosystems, and groundwater increasingly depleted by mining, data centers, and large-scale development.
Education for K-12 in Nevada Is Failing Students
Nevada's K-12 system is underperforming, with overcrowded classrooms and low literacy rates leaving many students' needs unmet.
Data Centers Drain Nevada's Water and Electricity for Few Jobs
Several large data center projects have moved into Nevada, raising questions about water consumption in the driest state in the country, electricity demand, environmental impact, and what residents actually receive in return.
Political Party Polarization Has Replaced Real Representation
Nevadans across the political spectrum express frustration that elected officials no longer represent the people who elected them, and that political polarization has crowded out everyday concerns and made compromise impossible.
Nevadans Who Raised Their Voice
This data reflects participation since The Nevada Forum launch on March 11 to May 22, 2026, plus a short pre-launch window.
Our outreach efforts aimed to include every demographic in rough proportion to the state population. At the conclusion of the voting round, some groups were still underrepresented in our participant pool, including Black / African-American Nevadans and younger (age 18-29) Nevadans. To support top issue selection, we conducted additional analysis that confirmed their top priorities strongly aligned with the three dominant themes that emerged statewide: rising cost of living, housing costs, and education quality.
Age
Political Lean
Race / Ethnicity
Region
Methodology
Collect data from the public
From March 11 to April 30, 2026, we invited Nevadans to share the issues they wanted state leaders and residents to solve. Submissions were collected on our digital platform using social media outreach, in-person engagement, and partner networks.
Analyze data to identify consensus areas
Every submissions was reviewed and grouped into thematic categories. We used a combination of human review and natural language clustering to surface the issues raised most often and to identify where Nevadans shared common ground.
Summarized by AI, reviewed by Nevadans
AI-assisted summaries condensed thousands of contributions into a shortlist of 20 issue statements. The Nevada Forum's state-level team, all residents of the state, reviewed the list of 20 issues for accuracy and tone before publication.
Conduct voting exercise to prioritize issues
From May 1 to 22, 2026 Nevadans were invited to vote on our digital platform. Contributors reviewed a list of 20 issues and selected the six they believed were most important to address. Each participant could only vote one time.
For more information, check out The Nevada Forum’s website, which includes project background and our privacy policy.
Disclaimer: The Forum is a demonstration project designed to test a new approach to public engagement using multiple digital tools. The data reflects input contributed by participants who choose to engage in the process. As we adapt the design to foster broad participation, we are actively reviewing data to improve accuracy and reduce duplication. This is not a formal research study, and while we strive for rigor, some errors or inconsistencies may occur.
Behind the Numbers
Every result in this report was produced by a transparent, repeatable process. Here’s exactly how it worked.
For more information, check out The Nevada Forum’s website, which includes project background and our privacy policy.
Disclaimer: The Forum is a demonstration project designed to test a new approach to public engagement using multiple digital tools. The data reflects input contributed by participants who choose to engage in the process. As we adapt the design to foster broad participation, we are actively reviewing data to improve accuracy and reduce duplication. This is not a formal research study, and while we strive for rigor, some errors or inconsistencies may occur.
What’s Happened and What’s Ahead
There is more work ahead to shape the future of Nevada. Here is where we will go next.
Hover over a step to read the full description.
Identifying the Top Issues (CLOSED)
Community Conversations (SIGN UP NOW)
In-Person Civic Assembly
Engagement and Advocacy
Next Step: Realtime, Small-Group Conversations on the Top Issues
In June and July 2026, Nevadans are invited to join Community Conversations (register here), small-group discussions focused on the top issues identified through the digital engagement process outlined in this report. Here’s how we’re taking your votes forward as conversation topics in June and July:
Issue #1: Rising Cost of Living
According to contributors in our first phase, housing, health care, and other household expenses are all putting the squeeze on Nevadans. Many Nevadans are asking whether work, household income, and public support create enough coverage for basic costs, emergencies, and savings. The rising cost of living appeared in three of the seven top-voted issues and will advance into Community Conversations as a broad area of exploration and problem-solving.
Issue #2: K-12 Educational Resources, Outcomes, and Accountability
Contributors in our first phase raised concerns that K-12 students may not be getting the academic support, classroom conditions, staffing capacity, funding transparency, and accountability needed to succeed. State data show recent gains on some measures, but many students are testing below proficiency in core subjects, and chronic absenteeism remains high. This Community Conversation explores pathways to strengthen the K-12 experience in Nevada.
Issue #3: Growth, Water Scarcity, and Long-Term Supply
Participants in our first phase cited several interrelated concerns about water scarcity and supply in Nevada: Colorado River supply uncertainty, groundwater stress, growth, large users such as data centers, rural and tribal interests, and ecosystems. In this Community Conversation, participants will weigh options and tradeoffs around statewide reliability, affordability, growth, rural and urban fairness, economic opportunity, tribal and ecosystem interests, and long-term stewardship.
Issue #4: State Politics and Polarization
Participants in our first phase raised concerns that go beyond any single election or party: many feel that elected officials are less connected to everyday residents, that partisan conflict crowds out practical problems, and that compromise has become harder to sustain. In this Community Conversation, participants will explore the systems, incentives, and habits that shape representation in Nevada, and identify potential pathways to strengthen connections between elected leaders and constituents.
How to Join Community Conversations
Deliberative Community Conversations run from June to July 2026. Small-group conversations are forming across Nevada — and your voice belongs in the room.
Join Community ConversationsHow to Join Community Conversations
Deliberative Community Conversations begin in June 2026. Small-group conversations are forming across Nevada — and your voice belongs in the room.
The Nevada Forum · nvforum.org