Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar said Wednesday that voters "deserve better" after hours-long lines at polling stations delayed the release of preliminary election results until just before midnight Tuesday. "No voter should have to wait in line for five hours," Aguilar said in a statement, while commending Nevadans for their dedication despite what he called chaos incited by the federal administration in the months leading up to the election.
Voting concluded by 9:30 p.m. in all counties except Clark County, where the final ballot was cast at Brinley Middle School shortly before midnight. State law prevents the reporting of results until all voters have finished casting ballots.
Clark County Registrar of Voters Lorena Portillo said the county would evaluate its performance, noting that voting sites were resourced based on past turnout data. She said the two-card ballot — with 142 contests and 254 candidates — was unique to Clark County and contributed to the time voters needed to make their choices.
Portillo said about 146,000 people voted in person on Election Day, nearly flat compared with 2022, while early voting participation increased to about 220,000 from 196,181 four years ago. As of Wednesday morning, workers had processed 378,000 mail ballots, up from 340,508 total in 2022, with more ballots expected under state rules allowing postmarked ballots to be accepted for up to four days after the election.
Aguilar said his office has been analyzing data to understand what happened and will share findings with counties. He added that the state is ready to support any county "willing to take ownership and confront these issues head-on." About 4,800 ballots require signature verification, with affected voters having until 5 p.m. Monday to complete the curing process.
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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