The Washoe County Registrar of Voters office has identified a small Reno precinct that was sent erroneous ballots, which means some folks may have to re-vote. The ballots miscategorized a precinct, and voters in that area received a ballot with incorrect races on it.
The precinct, 5020, is a small area south of Rancho San Rafael Park. Residents will be sent new ballots.
“Their old ballots were invalidated, so they cannot be voted,” county spokesperson Bethany Drysdale said. She added that nobody has been confirmed as having to re-vote.
“The Registrar’s Office investigated and identified the error, and the affected voters will receive a letter explaining the situation,” Drysdale added. “[They] will receive correct ballots from the Registrar.”
Drysdale said the county notified the Nevada Secretary of State’s Office of the error.
“If voters believe there is a discrepancy in their sample or mail ballot or have any other concerns, they should notify the Registrar’s Office immediately [at] 775-328-3670,” she said.
Voters can only vote on one ballot, and attempting to vote more than once is a felony.
The county has been criticized for its election processes in recent years. The secretary of state’s office determined that those issues did not amount to fraud or wrongdoing, as alleged by far-right conspiracy theorists, but county errors cost taxpayers nearly $200,000 in 2022. That’s because sample ballots failed to include a libertarian candidate.
An 80-page audit of county elections last year called for an overhaul of the registrar’s office and increased accuracy in voter roles.
“Service-level expectations were note met,” the auditor noted. “The [registrar’s] office has experienced significant turnover in leadership and staffing since the 2020 election cycle. The current team did everything possible in 2022 and 2023 given the unprecedented turnover; inadequate staffing levels, experience and institutional knowledge; and significantly limited instructions and documentation available to them.”
The county is on its third registrar of voters in recent years.
