Nevada: Federal judge dismisses Republican challenge over counting of post-Election Day mail ballots | Gabe Stern/Associated Press

A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by national and state Republicans that sought to bar Nevada from counting mail ballots received after Election Day. A state law passed by Democrats in 2021 allows election officials to tally ballots received by 5 p.m. on the fourth day after Election Day, as long as the envelopes are postmarked before the end of Election Day. The judge rejected Republicans’ assertions that this was unconstitutional and violated federal law, as well as their claim that the rule gave Democrats an unfair electoral advantage and diluted the power of Republicans votes. Read Article

Nevada: Washoe County Commission reverses course, acknowledges election certification mandatory | April Corbin Girnus /Nevada Current

Two of the three Washoe County commissioners who refused to certify the results of two primary election recounts reversed course Tuesday, acknowledging that certification is mandatory and that delaying the process could potentially subject them to criminal prosecution. The Washoe County Commission, in a 4-1 vote, certified the results of the two primary election recounts, which resulted in only minor changes to total vote counts. Commissioners had rejected certification 3-2 on July 9, though they had approved the original canvas of the election 3-2 earlier in June. Commissioner Clara Andriola — who voted to certify the original results, then voted against certifying the recount, then asked that the board reconsider that vote — said in prepared remarks that the Washoe County District Attorney’s Office had provided “clarifying direction on the nature of our duties to canvas the election returns.” She also acknowledged that the secretary of state and attorney general had quickly petitioned the Nevada Supreme Court to intervene and force certification. Read Article

Nevada: Refusal to certify Washoe County election results meant to sow distrust, advocates warn | April Corbin Girnus/Nevada Current

Washoe County’s rejection of the official results of two primary election recounts that yielded few changes from the original count should be seen as an attempt to spread misinformation and sow distrust in the democratic process, say voting advocates. Washoe County Commissioners on Tuesday voted 3-2 against certifying the results of an official recount of two races from Nevada’s June 9 primary. The board’s three Republicans, Commissioners Michael Clark, Jeanne Herman and Clara Andriola voted against certification while Democratic Commissioners Alexis Hill and Mariluz Garcia voted in favor of certification. Clark and Herman have now twice voted against certifying the results of Washoe County’s primary election. The duo also voted against certifying the county’s original canvas two weeks ago. Andriola voted for certification of the original canvas but joined her Republican peers in opposition on Tuesday. Read Article

Nevada county votes against certifying recount results, a move that raises longer-term questions | Gabe Stern/Associated Press

Commissioners in Nevada’s second most populous county on Tuesday refused to certify the results of two local recounts from last month’s primary, a rare move that has potential implications for the presidential race in one of the nation’s most important swing states. The three Republican members on the five-member Washoe County Board of Commissioners voted to reject the results of recounts in one race for a commission seat and another for a local school board seat. What happens next is unclear. The county elections department and district attorney’s office declined to comment, along with the state attorney general. A request for comment from the secretary of state was not immediately returned. The rejection of the recounts and questions over how to handle it raised concerns about what could happen in November if a local commission refused to certify the presidential election results. Read Article

Nevada: Judge tosses initial GOP lawsuit alleging voter rolls insufficiently maintained | Eric Neugeboren/The Nevada Independent

A federal judge on Tuesday approved a motion to dismiss a GOP-led lawsuit alleging that Nevada had insufficiently maintained its voter rolls, but will allow for an amended complaint addressing standing issues to be re-filed with the court. After a two hour hearing in Las Vegas, U.S. District Court Judge Cristina Silva ruled that the Republican National Committee (RNC) and Nevada GOP lacked standing to file the lawsuit. She also ruled that there was no way for the state to resolve the alleged issues when the lawsuit was filed, owing to federal guidelines on the timing of amending voting roll programs to remove ineligible voters. The groups have 14 days to amend their complaint. Read Article

Nevada’s Plan To Expand Internet Voting Concerns Election Security Experts | Christina A. Cassidy/Associated Press

Election security experts have expressed concerns about the risks associated with electronic balloting, which is being expanded in Nevada to increase voting access for Native American tribes, including the Walker River Paiute Tribe. These experts warn that electronic ballot returns can be intercepted or manipulated, posing a significant security threat. Despite these risks, the new system allows tribal members to receive and return ballots electronically, aiming to address historical voting barriers faced by tribal communities. Verified Voting, a nonpartisan group, notes that while electronic ballot return is limited, its expansion could undermine public confidence in elections due to the potential for digital interference. Read Article

Nevada elections official confronts escalating threats in battleground county | Sara Murray and Kim Berryman/CNN

In the Washoe County elections office, everyone is new to the job. Cari-Ann Burgess – the top elections official in the county – is the third registrar of voters there in just four years. She’s been leading the office for less than six months. Her deputy, Andrew McDonald, has been on the job for a few weeks. Media production specialist George Guthrie started less than nine months ago. Even Noah Autrey, the office assistant, started full-time less than a year ago. With 100% staff turnover since the last presidential election, Washoe County is emblematic of a nationwide trend. States are gearing up for the 2024 election while grappling with an election worker exodus driven by the complexity of the job, as well as threats and harassment, experts say. Election worker turnover has been ticking up steadily over the past two decades, but the pace has increased in recent cycles. Since 2020, at least 36% of local election officials have left the job, according to researchers from the Bipartisan Policy Center and the University of California, Los Angeles. Read Article

Nevada Supreme Court denies appeal of conservative activist seeking to oust county election official | Associated Press

A conservative activist who embraced unproven election fraud claims has lost an appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court in his bid to oust a top county election official and others. The high court on Wednesday upheld a lower-court judge’s earlier dismissal of Robert Beadles’ lawsuit, which claimed that Washoe County’s registrar of voters, the county manager and a county commissioner violated the state constitution by failing to respond to his complaints of fraud. “Taking all the factual allegations in the complaint as true and drawing every inference in favor of Beadles, he can prove no set facts that would entitle him to relief as pleaded,” the Supreme Court ruled. Read Article

Nevada: GOP sues state over late mail-in ballots | Hillel Aron/Courthouse News Service

The Republican Party, along with Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, filed a lawsuit against Nevada and its two largest counties over their policy of accepting mail-in ballots arriving up to four days after Election Day.  Nevada’s Secretary of State defended the state’s election practices, emphasizing their transparency and accessibility, while the Republicans expressed concerns about the disproportionate impact on Republican candidates and voters. Read Article

Nevada Secretary of State Wants More Election Funding After Presidential Primary “Glitch” | Matt Cohen/Democracy Docket

Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar is calling for more federal funding for elections after a coding “glitch” in the vote tally in the state’s Presidential Preference Primary in February. An unknown number of voters were erroneously marked down as having voted when they didn’t in fact vote. The glitch was fixed and no extra votes were counted, but the incident prompted a letter from U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Wis.), chairman of the Committee on House Administration, to Aguilar expressing concern over what led to the glitch. In response to Steil’s letter, Aguilar sent a letter on March 22 asking for Congress to provide more federal funding for elections to ensure similar glitches don’t happen again. Read Article

Nevada: Republican National Committee sues Secretary of State over voter registration records | Mark Hebert/Courthouse News Service

The Republican National Committee, Nevada Republican Party, and a registered voter have jointly filed a lawsuit against Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar and other election authorities, alleging that several counties in the state maintain outdated or inaccurate voter rolls, thus violating the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. Nevada’s attorney general countered the GOP’s claims, arguing that the data used for assessment was flawed and offering alternative datasets for comparison. Read Article

Nevada county election official in charge of controversial 2022 hand-count plan resigns | Gabe Stern/Associated Press

Mark Kampf, the Nye County Clerk in Nevada, known for presiding over a hand-count in the 2022 midterms amid false claims of election fraud, is resigning effective March 31, according to a letter received by the county. The reasons for his resignation remain unclear, with Kampf declining to comment. He assumed the position after the county commission unanimously voted to switch to hand-counting amidst conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, leading to the resignation of the previous clerk. However, Kampf’s approach to hand-counting differed from the original plan, with machines remaining the primary counting method. Read Article

Nevada Secretary of State says coding issues to blame for errors in online voter history records | Tabitha Mueller/The Nevada Independent

The Nevada Secretary of State’s office addressed coding errors in files used for nightly updates on voter registration history, clarifying that the mistakes did not affect the presidential primary election results. The errors stemmed from missed steps in uploading voter registration data, particularly related to voters who did not return mail ballots, but did not impact vote tabulation. Read Article

Nevada Secretary of State defends Dominion voting machines | Mark Robison/Reno Gazette Journal

The Nevada Secretary of State has sent an email to county clerks and registrars in the state defending the state’s Dominion ImageCast X (ICX) voting machines after University of Michigan computer science professor Alex Halderman testified in a federal trial recently in Georgia about the vulnerability of those machines. Nevada uses the ICX as a direct recording electronic DRE system while Georgia uses them as ballot marking devices (BMDs). Nevada also uses a different voting system version. Previously they had been using a Nevada-specific version (DVS 5.12) and last year they upgraded to DVS 5.17, the EAC certified version Dominion developed after a 2021 security analysis co-authored by Halderman. The concern about the encoding of voter selections into QR code that has been an important issue in the Georgia tria is moot in Nevada since no Printed Vote Records are produced by the ICX when used as a DRE. Further arguments about physical and cyber security measures that would require “unlimited access to the voting machines” for the attacks assumes no insider threat. Read Article

Nevada Republicans can’t decide between a primary or a caucus – so they’re doing both | Joe Sommerlad/The Independent

Nevada Republicans are set to host both a caucus and a primary as part of their unique electoral system, driven by a 2021 bipartisan bill requiring political primaries if multiple candidates vie for a race. While Nevada Democrats have embraced this change, Nevada Republicans insist on maintaining their traditional caucus alongside the state-run primary. Despite attempts to challenge the primary requirement in court, the party succeeded in ensuring that delegates would only be awarded through the caucus, making the primary more of a symbolic exercise. Read Article

Nevada Secretary of State tries to get ahead of caucus-caused confusion – without criticizing caucus | April Corbin Girnis/Nevada Current

Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar on Wednesday offered little direct criticism of the Nevada Republican Party for rejecting the state-run presidential preference primary in favor of hosting their own party-run caucus. But he defended the state’s primary election system, calling it more accessible to voters than a caucus held over less than three hours on just one specific day. Read Article

Nevada: Elections head in Washoe County resigns, underscoring election turnover in key state | Gabe Stern/Associated Press

The turnover among election officials in Nevada continues as Washoe County Registrar of Voters, Jamie Rodriguez, abruptly resigns less than a month before the Feb. 6 presidential preference primary. In her resignation letter, Rodriguez expressed a desire to pursue opportunities outside of elections and spend more time with family in preparation for the crucial 2024 election cycle. This adds to the eleven of Nevada’s 17 counties that have seen turnover in top county election positions since the 2020 election. Rodriguez’s departure comes after an extensive audit in Washoe County revealed issues of rapid turnover and understaffing that hindered election processes. The state has faced resignations due to threats, lack of support, and challenges in implementing changes like the universal mail ballot system. Read Article

Nevada GOP ‘fake electors’ plead not guilty to felony charges in Las Vegas | Gabby Birenbaum/The Nevada Independent

Six Nevada Republicans, including state party Chair Michael McDonald, have pleaded not guilty to felony charges related to their attempt to pledge the state’s electoral votes to Donald Trump after the 2020 election. The charges, brought almost three years after the defendants participated in a fake signing ceremony, include offering a false instrument for filing and uttering a forged instrument. The charges carry a minimum sentence of one year and a maximum of four to five years. Read Article

Six Nevada Republicans charged with casting fake electoral votes in 2020 | Rachel Leingang/The Guardian

Six Republicans in Nevada, who falsely claimed to be presidential electors in 2020, were charged with two felonies each by the state’s attorney general. The charges include “offering a false instrument for filing” and “uttering a forged instrument” for sending documents claiming to be the state’s electors. This follows similar cases in Georgia and Michigan, with other states still investigating. Read Article

Nevada: Former Trump attorney to cooperate with investigators in fake elector probe | Tabitha Mueller and Eric Neugeboren/The Nevada Independent

A former attorney for President Donald Trump, Kenneth Chesebro, who played a role in the submission of fraudulent slates of electors in Nevada and other swing states after the 2020 presidential election, has agreed to meet with Nevada officials investigating the false electors. Chesebro is cooperating with investigators as part of the state’s probe into the fake elector scheme, which involved falsely pledging Nevada’s electoral votes to Trump. The investigation focuses on potential charges related to filing false documents, with a deadline for charges under Nevada law approaching on December 14, the three-year anniversary of the fake electors’ meeting in Carson City. Read Article

Nevada GOP fake electors under state investigation | Tabitha Mueller and Gabby Birenbaum/The Nevada Independent

Nevada’s Attorney General, Aaron Ford, a Democrat, is now investigating six Republicans who falsely pledged Nevada’s electoral votes to Donald Trump in 2020, despite Joe Biden winning the state by 2.4 percentage points. The Republicans, including state party chair Michael McDonald and national committeeman Jim DeGraffenreid, submitted an uncertified slate of electors for Trump in December 2020, following the Trump campaign’s instructions. The investigation marks a shift for Ford, who had previously been silent on the matter, citing that state law might not allow for charges. Other states, like Michigan and Georgia, have brought charges against individuals involved in similar fake elector schemes. The investigation raises questions about the violation of Nevada law, which mandates electors to cast their votes for the popular vote winner and prohibits unauthorized public duties or falsifying records. Read Article

Opinion: Nevada normalizes its fake electors | Hugh Jackson/Nevada Current

The Nevada Secretary of State’s office invited a fake elector, Jim DeGraffenried, to make a presentation to its Advisory Committee on Participatory Democracy, raising concerns about normalizing election denialism. DeGraffenried and other fake electors played a crucial role in Donald Trump’s attempt to steal the 2020 presidential election. Despite their efforts to undermine democracy, the Nevada Republican Party sought to legitimize DeGraffenried by naming him Nevada’s National Republican Committeeman. The decision to invite him to speak on participatory democracy has been criticized for giving a platform to those who spread misinformation about elections. Read Article

Nevada’s exodus of election officials took with them 104 years of experience, says report | April Corbin Girnus/Nevada Current

Since the last presidential election, ten out of seventeen Nevada counties have seen a turnover in their top election officials, marking a higher rate of change than most other western states, according to a report by the political reform group Issue One. The turnover is attributed to a range of factors, including political pressure, threats, and burnout. Issue One is advocating for increased federal funding and protections to address the issue and strengthen the democratic process. Read Article

Nevada: Election regulations again draw GOP pushback; allow hand counting, with limits | Sean Golonka/The Nevada Independent

The Nevada Secretary of State’s office is in the process of updating and adopting regulations for the upcoming presidential primary elections. These regulations cover various technical aspects of election administration and are aligned with state election laws passed in the last legislative session. They establish timelines for pre- and post-election procedures and provide clarity for election officials and the public on how elections are conducted. While the process is routine, it has become a platform for Nevada Republicans to express concerns about the state’s election laws. Some argue that these regulations represent an “election law power grab,” while others criticize the state’s mail ballot laws and the requirement for a presidential preference primary for each major party. The regulations will need approval from the Legislative Commission before taking effect. Read Article

Nevada: Audit confirms legitimacy of Clark County’s mail ballot processes | Casey Harrison/Las Vegas Sun

An audit of the Clark County Election Department’s handling of mail ballots during the 2022 general election concluded that election officials followed state law when processing ballots. The report made suggestions to enhance the process in future elections, including better verbalizing the process in which mail ballots are counted and additional voter education initiatives about when to send a ballot and how to properly mark it. The audit showed that 4,903 mail ballots were rejected for not meeting legal requirements, highlighting the need for continued educational and outreach efforts to increase voter awareness around submission deadlines. The audit found that overall, the Election Department processes mail ballots accurately and in accordance with Nevada law. Read Article

Nevada’s 2020 fake electors may not yet be in the clear, former US attorney says | Casey Harrison/Las Vegas Sun

Nevada Republicans who participated in a scheme to overturn the 2020 presidential election could still face federal charges, despite a state attorney general’s determination that they broke no state laws. The Republicans were part of a group in several states that hosted fake ceremonies to certify electoral votes in favor of Donald Trump, sending phony certificates to the National Archives. Michigan has already charged its fake electors, and federal prosecutors may pursue charges against the Nevada group, who had no legal standing to meet. Experts suggest that the key to potential federal charges would be proving that the participants knowingly broke the law. Read Article

Nevada judge denies GOP request to block presidential primary election | Riley Snyder/The Nevada Independent

A judge in Carson City has rejected the Nevada Republican Party’s motion to replace the state’s presidential primary election with a caucus. The lawsuit challenged a 2021 law that shifted Nevada from a caucus to a primary. The judge ruled that the Republican Party could still hold a caucus if it chose to do so. The party intends to proceed with a caucus in February to allocate presidential delegates and is seeking to avoid a state-run primary election. The 2021 law was signed by Democratic Governor Steve Sisolak and advanced Nevada’s position in the presidential nominating calendar. The Republican Party wants to maintain the traditional Iowa-New Hampshire-South Carolina-Nevada schedule. Read Article

Nevada officials call for dismissal of GOP lawsuit to stop presidential primary election | Eric Neugeboren/The Nevada Independent

State officials in Nevada are pushing back against a lawsuit filed by the Nevada Republican Party to halt the state’s scheduled presidential primary election in February. The lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of a new law requiring a presidential preference primary and argues that it violates the party’s freedom of association. The state’s attorney general’s office responded, stating that the lawsuit lacks legal merit and that the party is not obligated to accept the results of the primary in delegate allocation. Under the new law, Nevada will transition from caucuses to primary elections for both major political parties. The primary election results will be non-binding, allowing the party to decide how to allocate delegates. State officials argue that the primary election will enhance security and accessibility compared to caucuses. Read Article

Nevada ‘fake electors’ appear before D.C. Jan. 6 grand jury | Natasha Korecki, Ryan J. Reilly, Victoria Ebner and Katherine Doyle/NBC

The grand jury investigation into the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and Donald Trump’s attempts to remain in office is progressing, with Nevada GOP Chair Michael McDonald and Vice Chair Jim DeGraffenreid spotted entering the area where the jury is meeting. McDonald, a close ally of Trump, previously confirmed that federal authorities seized his cellphone as part of the investigation. This comes after former Trump official Steve Bannon was subpoenaed by a federal grand jury in connection with the investigation. Another former White House aide testified before the grand jury regarding Trump’s firing of Christopher Krebs, who led election cybersecurity efforts. The investigation is separate from the one in Miami concerning Trump’s handling of classified documents. Read Article

Nevada: Outside audit finds ‘error-prone’ processes and ‘confusion’ in Washoe County elections | Mark Robison/Reno Gazette Journal

A new outside audit of Washoe County’s election process highlights concerns and offers recommendations for improvement. The audit, conducted as part of a $100,000 contract, reveals several issues with the 2022 election, including errors, confusion, and delayed mail ballots. The report suggests that Washoe County needs to address challenges such as staff turnover, lack of institutional knowledge, outdated technical systems, inefficient processes, and poor communication with the public. The audit recommends hiring more staff, providing comprehensive training, and allocating adequate resources to improve the election system. Additionally, it advises implementing standardized procedures for ballot development, better handling of mail ballots, and improved voter registration processes. The audit emphasizes the need for transparency, effective communication, and building trust with observers and the public to ensure a fair and legitimate election process. Read Article