Vote centers around Washoe County will open at 10 a.m. Saturday, kicking off two weeks of Early Voting.
More than 300,000 residents are registered to vote in Washoe County. All registered voters will receive a mail-in ballot unless they opted out more than 60 days prior to the election. Those mail-in ballots can be sent via U.S. Postal Service or dropped off at any vote center in Washoe County. Now voters will have two weeks, October 22-Nov. 4, to vote in person before Election Day, or continue to mail in or drop off their ballots.
There are 18 in-person vote centers throughout the county, and voters can choose any voter center that is convenient to them. Vote centers have digital voting booths as well as ballot drop-boxes for those who have already filled out their mail-in ballot and wish to drop it off. There is also a drop-off-only location at the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony.
Mail-in ballots that are dropped off will be scanned for accounting purposes only so the Registrar’s Office knows how many ballots were dropped off per day per location. Ballots are processed and tracked at the Registrar’s Office each night, and voters can check the status of their ballot the following day.
For those voting in person and surrendering your ballot, election workers will need to stamp “canceled” on the actual ballot, not the envelope. To expedite the line, we are asking voters to bring only their ballot, not the envelope. Our intake lines will have letter openers for those who forget.
Washoe County Security, Reno and Sparks police departments, and the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office are working together to ensure a peaceful process at the polls. Federal, state, and local regulations prohibit campaigning at polling locations. No campaigning or signs can be displayed within 100 feet of polling locations, which includes talking to voters about candidates, distributing fliers, or using loudspeakers to broadcast information. Additionally, election-related clothing or accessories are also prohibited inside vote centers.
Voters should anticipate some delay during high-traffic voting times, and they can check the wait times for each location using the Wait Time Tool on the registrar’s website. Washoe County always strives to improve and find ways to better serve our residents. Please take a moment after you have voted to fill out our simple voter survey. Let us know how your voting experience was, whether in person or by mail.
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