Washoe County voters will begin to receive ballots in their mailboxes this week. The first batch of ballots was mailed from the printer today, and sample ballots will soon follow.
Every registered voter will receive a mail-in ballot unless they opted not to by filling out a form on the Secretary of State’s website at least 60 days before the election (April 15 for the Primary Election). Mail ballots can be filled out, signed, and returned via the postal service at any time or drop-off locations during early voting and Election Day. Voters who wish to vote in person can vote at any of the county’s two dozen vote centers during early voting, May 28-June 10, or on Election Day, June 14. In-person voters should bring their mail-in ballot to surrender — unless they opted out of receiving a mail-in ballot — at the vote center or be prepared to show identification.
Things to know about mail-in ballots:
- A new ballot is triggered when there is a change to their residential address or party affiliation for their voter registration up to May 30. It is possible to receive a ballot, then make a change that will trigger a new ballot to be issued. This invalidates the previous ballot and only the most recently issued ballot is valid. Changes made after May 30, will not receive a new mail-in ballot.
- It is very important to follow the directions printed on the ballot. Be sure to sign where indicated, and put only one ballot in the return envelope. If more than one ballot is in the envelope, all ballots will be invalidated.
- Because this is a primary election and voters can only vote in their party’s races and nonpartisan races, numerous versions of ballots are created. Nonpartisan voters can only vote in nonpartisan races. Your ballot is specific to you, your party and where you live.
- Mail-in ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by the Washoe County Registrar of Voters Office within four days after the election to be counted.
- If there is an issue with your signature verification – the signature on your ballot does not match the signature on your voter registration – you will be contacted to “cure” your ballot. This means you will be asked identifying information to ensure that the ballot is yours. Voters have until June 20 to cure their ballots.
- Attempting to vote twice, vote for someone else, or otherwise defraud the election is a crime. Mailing in a ballot and appearing to vote in person is voter fraud.
- If you receive a ballot for someone else, simply write “Not at this address” on the outside of the ballot envelope and send back to the Registrar of Voters Office. This will assist the office in keeping its voter rolls current.
Sample ballots will also be mailed in batches. Sample ballots are clearly marked as “Sample” and they include all the races in the election and important information on vote center locations and hours. In-person voters may find it useful to make their selections on their sample ballot and bring it with them to vote in person. A digital version of the sample ballot is available online here.
For more information on the Primary Election in Washoe County, visit the website. If you do not receive your mail-in ballot by May 28 or feel there is a mistake with your voter registration, contact the Registrar of Voters Office at 775-328-3670.
