CNN notes that Nevada's population is booming, but the percentage of Mormons in the population has dropped from 12% in 1986 to around 7% today. Experts say that the "Mormon vote" won't be a huge factor in November's election, unless it's extremely close.
The impact of LDS voters is felt mostly inside the Republican Party, a dynamic that came into focus during the GOP primary fight, when Mormons showed up at polling places in robust numbers to help push Romney to victories in Western states like Wyoming, Idaho and Arizona.
Strategists in both parties, though, operate under the assumption that the Mormon share of the vote drops off sharply in Nevada's general elections, and that most of their support goes to GOP candidates.
Republicans and Democrats in Nevada, including members of the church, agree that Mormon voters can no longer swing a statewide election on their own.
But Republicans hope that in a tight election -- as the presidential race is expected to be in Nevada and the small number of states that will decide the election -- even the slightest uptick in Mormon turnout with Romney on top of the ticket could provide an edge.
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