In a radio interview on Tuesday, Nevada Assembly Minority Leader Pat Hickey (R) told conservative host Dan Mason that the Republican Party “has some great opportunities” in 2014 because “a lot of minorities, a lot of young people” will not turn out to vote.

Think Progress reported that Hickey’s party does not control the state government in Nevada and therefore can’t currently impose the kind of voter ID laws that can keep poor and minority voters away from the polls in other states. Hickey suggested Nevada Republicans are counting on plain old apathy to keep the young and non-white out of the voting booth in 2014.

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“This is a great year in an off presidential election,” he said Tuesday. “No, seemingly no Democrat on the top of the ticket against Sandoval. No Harry Reid. Probably where we had a million voters turn out in 2012 we’ll have like 700,000. A lot of minorities, a lot of younger people will not turn out in a non-presidential year. It’s a great year for Republicans.”

Listen to the remarks, embedded below via the Nevada Democratic Party:

[image of polling sign via Flickr user bunnicula’s photostream, Creative Commons licensed]