At a special meeting of the Board of County Commissioners, the Board certified the Canvass of the Vote in a 3-2 vote.
The canvass is an administrative step that must be taken before the State of Nevada finalizes the statewide results. Interim Registrar of Voters Cari-Ann Burgess presented an overview of the election results and procedures including any clerical errors that were discovered during the audit process.
The Primary took place on June 11, with two weeks of early voting. Turnout for the election was 24.5 percent of eligible voters.
Burgess and Deputy District Attorney Mary Kandaras explained the federal and state laws that the Registrar must follow during voter-roll cleanup and the mailing of ballots. A key point is that ballots must be sent to all valid registered voters, even if they have moved and not updated their address. The Registrar has no discretion to withhold a ballot from a voter or change a voter record without going through the legally mandated processes.
Burgess addressed questions about why mail ballots are delivered to incorrect addresses, explaining that ballots cannot be forwarded, so if someone moves and only files a change of address with the post office, their ballot will not be forwarded. It is important that residents mark ballots “return to sender” when they receive a ballot for a voter who does not live at that address. This allows the Registrar to begin the actions to inactivate or update the voter. Additionally, only after a voter does not vote in two General Elections – i.e. four years – may they be removed from the rolls.
The Board of County Commissioners voted to approve the Canvass of the Vote, and candidates will now go on to the General Election, which takes place Tuesday, November 5. Information on the election can be found on the Registrar’s website here.
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