Washoe County’s Message to Voters: Quit Waiting and Send It In
Got your mail ballot sitting on the kitchen counter?
Washoe County wants you to stop staring at it and send it back.
The Washoe County Registrar of Voters launched a new campaign today. It’s called “Don’t Wait, Washoe.”
The message is about as simple as it gets. Return your ballot early.
Here’s why they’re asking.
In this year’s primary, 1,837 mail ballots in Washoe County were postmarked after Election Day.
Under Nevada law, that’s too late. Those votes didn’t count.
Those folks took the time to fill out their ballots. They wanted a say. But they didn’t get one.
And plenty of Nevada races have been decided by a lot fewer votes than that.
The second problem is the last-minute pileup.
Nearly 13,000 mail ballots showed up on Election Day itself. That’s 20 percent of all mail ballots returned.
Thousands still had to be processed after the polls closed. So results came in later.
Now do the math for November.
Primary turnout was about 30 percent. The county expects at least 62 percent this time.
The Registrar says Election Day ballot returns could top 25,000.
Nobody likes waiting days for results. And every day a race hangs in limbo is another day for suspicion and finger-pointing.
Faster results build trust. Early ballots are how you get there.
Here’s what you need to know.
In-state mail ballots go out around October 5.
If you’re an active voter and didn’t opt out, yours will soon be on the way or already there.
Early voting runs Saturday, October 17 through Friday, October 30.
Washoe County will have 18 early Vote Centers open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Every one has a drop box.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3.
That day, 41 Vote Centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. And RTC is offering free rides to Vote Centers on Election Day.
Locations, hours and wait times are at washoecounty.gov/votecenters.
One of the smartest lines in the campaign says the last day to mail your ballot should be the last day of early voting. That’s good advice.
If you’re cutting it close, skip the mailbox and use a drop box. No postmark worries. No wondering if it got there.
There’s another reason to go early.
Every mail ballot goes through signature verification. If your signature doesn’t match, you have to “cure” it before your vote counts.
The deadline is 5 p.m. on Monday, November 9.
Send your ballot in early and you’ve got time to fix a problem.
Send it in late and you might not.
You can track your ballot at washoecounty.gov/trackmyballot.
Watch it like you’d watch a package from Amazon.
The Registrar’s even having a little fun with it.
One message says, “Don’t let your dog eat your ballot.”
Another says, “Protect it from your coffee and cats.”
Indeed, a ballot sitting at home is a ballot at risk.
Want to keep an eye on the process?
The county starts a livestream of its Central Counting Place on October 9. It runs through the canvass on November 13.
The public can also observe at Vote Centers and ballot processing. That kind of openness is exactly what voters should expect.
Look, election integrity isn’t just about laws and lawsuits. It’s also about the simple stuff.
Getting your ballot in on time. Making sure your signature matches. Giving election workers room to do the job right.
You’ve got two full weeks and 18 locations. Don’t wait, Washoe.
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