Deregulation. Monopoly. A lot of words have been used to describe ballot Question 3.
The question will read like this:
" Shall Article 1 of the Nevada Constitution be amended to require the Legislature to provide by law for the establishment of an open, competitive retail electric energy market that prohibits the granting of monopolies and exclusive franchises for the generation of electricity?"
What does that mean, exactly? Proponents say that it will create a free market of energy, allowing consumers to choose where they buy their power from.
Lucas Foletta represents Nevadans for Clean, Affordable Energy Choices, which is backing the question. He said the initiative will ensure that people get affordable energy choices in Nevada.
"If we open this market, you'll have more jobs, more renewable energy and lower prices," Foletta said.
He said reliability of people's energy won't be compromised because the electricity market will still be regulated but it will be more open to competition lowering the prices for everyone.
Foletta pointed to other states like Illinois and Pennsylvania as places that did something similar and saw big savings in energy prices.
However, opponents of the ballot question say it will increase the cost of electricity across the board.
Danny Thompson is the executive secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO. He said no state has deregulated its energy market in 16 years because after they did power prices actually went up, not down.
"Right now, Nevada is well below the national average," he said, "In fact NV Energy's last five rates cases were reductions on the rate. The opposite is true for states that have deregulated."
Thompson said when the market was deregulated in San Diego power prices went up 800 percent. He does admit that part of the spike was due to manipulation of the market by Enron.
Thompson said the State Legislature looked at the idea several years ago but after lengthy discussions but didn't take a vote.
"The reason they didn't take a vote is because of what happened in California and Texas and other states." he said
Another big problem opponents have with the ballot measure is that it would amend the State Constitution, which means any changes to it - even small changes - would have to go before the voters again.
For his part, Foletta argued that it should be in the Constitution because that is where we enshrine basic rights. He feels the economic freedom provided by the ballot measure should be constitutionally protected.
"If you look at our country, we're founded on the notion that we buy things at a market," he said, "That's how we drive ingenuity. We unleash creativity. It creates jobs. It lowers prices. It give us what we want."
Danny Thompson, executive secretary-treasurer, AFL-CIO; Lucas Foletta, attorney, McDonald Carano Wilson