Question of the Day - 12 November 2018

We received this question a couple months ago, but we couldn't really answer it till now. That's because we never saw any polls about the issue and, indeed, the vote itself on Election Day was the poll.

The question was an advisory-only ballot measure; it has no legal standing. The measure was on banning the legal brothels in Lyon County, a small rural and farming enclave in northwestern Nevada whose seat is Yerington (population 3,150).

Lyon County, one of six in Nevada with active prostitution, has four legal brothels, all restricted by law to the Mound House area along US 50 roughly eight miles east of Carson City. The most infamous is the Moonlight Bunny Ranch, featured on several HBO specials and series and known for hiring porn stars. Nearby is the Love Ranch. Both were owned by Nevada’s head pimp, Dennis Hof, who owned seven brothels and was running for the Nevada Assembly from District 36 (Nye County) when he died suddenly in mid-October (the cause of death is unknown at this time, though authorities have indicated that no foul play has been found, so far). A Republican who advertised himself as the “Trump from Pahrump,” he was elected posthumously, with 62% of the vote.

The issue, as it usually does, boiled down to morality on one side and money on the other. Those in favor of the ban want to rid Lyon County of “the pestilence of prostitution,” citing the improvement of public safety and health and the “overall brand, look, and feel” of the community. It was also a referendum on prostitution in the state overall, which many believe hurts Nevada’s reputation.

Those opposed to the ban argued that the county would be hard-pressed to replace the nearly half-million dollars in taxes and fees the legal brothels contribute to the local government (although it’s only 1% of the total budget). For some, it was a referendum on criminalizing prostitution, which puts sex workers at risk and requires that law enforcement attention pay undue attention to victimless crime.

Anyway, the verdict is now in and Lyon County voters came back overwhelmingly in favor of maintaining the prostitution status quo: Upwards of 75% of voters combined to recommend shooting down the proposed ban.

The question will now go before the Lyon County Commissioners for a final vote.