Silver Dollars & Wooden Nickels: Fix the law, allow RVers the right to vote

The Nevada Appeal's "Silver Dollar" and "Wooden Nickel" feature recognizes positive achievements from the capital region and, when warranted, points out others that missed the mark.

Wooden nickel: Art and Rita Cooke can't be the only snowbirds who've found themselves out in the cold when it comes to voting. The Carson City couple who sold their home to live and travel full-time in their RV found out they can't vote here. "All my vehicles have a Nevada license. I file my income tax in Nevada. I have a small business in Nevada. My driver's license is issued by Nevada. My U.S. Passport address is in Nevada." he said by phone from Yuma, Ariz. But Cooke doesn't have an actual residence in Nevada so, under state law, he can't vote, except in a presidential election. We have a feeling that, in coming years, more Americans are going to be living in homes on wheels; this gap in the law needs to be fixed. "I'm a citizen of the U.S. but I'm not a citizen of any state, I guess," said Cooke. "It doesn't make any sense to me."

Silver dollar: To Carson Tahoe Regional Healthcare, for its comprehensive study of our area's health habits and risks. The data will be a valuable tool in identifying areas of concern and formulating plans to combat those issues. For example, who knew incidence of skin cancer in Douglas County is three times the national rate? This study will hopefully lead to a community that's more aware of its unhealthy habits so we can turn those statistics around.

Wooden nickel: To the skittish horse that dumped our governor, and gave him a kick to boot. Laid up with a broken pelvis, Gov. Gibbons is conducting state business from a hospital bed in Reno. We wish him a speedy recovery.