'Ax Tax' leader says petition drive going strong

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - Efforts to gather signatures on an initiative petition to repeal Nevada's $833 million tax increase are "going strong," says a leader of the drive.

But Christopher Hansen, a leader of Nevadans For Sound Government, said he's much less confident about getting enough signatures on an initiative to ban public employees from serving in the Legislature.

The initiatives must have 51,337 signatures, including 10 percent of voters in 13 of the state's 17 counties, by July 20. The petitions were originally due June 15 but a judge allowed an extra 35 days because of troubles the group faced when trying to gather names at public places.

Hansen said more than 30,000 people have signed the "Ax The Tax" petition in Clark County alone, and more signatures are coming at a rate of 1,200 a day in southern Nevada. Ten percent of the voters in Clark County works out to 31,360 signatures.

But the petition to bar government employees from the Legislature is "going right down to the wire," he said.

Nevadans For Sound Government got the extra signature-gathering time after suing on grounds the state Department of Motor Vehicles, University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the bus station in Reno hindered its efforts to collect signatures.