If you’re tired of waiting days – or even weeks – after Election Day to find out who won, you’re not alone.
President Donald Trump just made that fight a priority, and many Nevadans are saying: it’s about time.
In a big move back in March, President Trump signed an executive order that says mail-in ballots should only count if they arrive by Election Day – not days later like in some states.
The order has been tied up in court, but the message is clear: Election Day should mean the end of the election.
We are one of the states with the longest built-in delays for counting in the entire nation.
Mississippi (3m inhabitants), New Hampshire (1.4m) and Alabama (5.2m) are three states in the nation that vote on Election Day and only allow absentee (mail) ballots with a valid excuse.
There is no in-person early voting.
Here in Nevada, the state still counts ballots that come in as late as four days after the election, as long as they were postmarked on time.
That’s caused plenty of confusion and frustration, especially since our elections are often close. Just ask folks who remember the long wait in 2020 when results took nearly a week to finalize.
President Trump’s order enforces the federal law that sets a specific date for federal elections. By the way, there is no mention in the Federal law about early voting, only “absentee” (mail) ballots with strict excuses.
In his words, counting ballots after that date is like “allowing persons who arrive 3 days after Election Day… to vote in person,” which, he says, would be absurd.
The U.S. Supreme Court just agreed to review a similar case out of Illinois. It’s part of a larger effort by Republicans to set a firm national standard: ballots must arrive by Election Day. Period.
And I would go a step further, all votes must be counted and published by midnight on Election Day.
Nevada Conservatives Say “Fix It”
Conservatives in Nevada have long raised red flags about the state’s lax election laws.
In 2021, Democrat lawmakers pushed through permanent universal mail-in voting – meaning every “active” registered voter gets a ballot in the mail, whether they ask for it or not.
Republican lawmakers and citizens pushed back hard, warning it would open the door to ballot harvesting and vote-counting delays. They were 100% correct.
Chuck Muth, a longtime conservative activist in Nevada, said it best in a recent blog post: “When people don’t trust the process, they won’t trust the results.”
And it’s not just about trust. It’s also about timing and security of the vote.
The 2022 general election saw about 70,000 ballots in Clark County alone not even received and counted until after Election Day, according to the county registrar’s voter files.
That’s enough to swing a close race, and it leaves everyone guessing while votes trickle in.
Other States Are Making the Change
Nevada’s not the only state wrestling with this issue. Kansas, Utah, and North Dakota all passed new laws this year saying no more to late-arriving ballots.
In Kansas, lawmakers compared it to giving a football team an extra down after the clock runs out.
Back in California, where it often takes weeks to count votes, even some Democrats are trying to speed up the process.
A new bill there would give election officials just 13 days to count most of the ballots. Critics say it’s long overdue.
What the Other Side Says
Not everyone agrees with Trump’s push. Some election officials say late-arriving ballots are still valid if they were mailed on time and have a proper postmark.
In fact, states like California and Mississippi – two very different places – have allowed grace periods for years.
Mississippi, as mentioned above, has “absentee” ballots, where voters must have a valid excuse and request their ballot ahead of time.
Democrats also argue that mail delays, especially in rural areas, could disenfranchise voters.
But conservatives say that’s exactly why folks should vote early or drop off their ballots in person – so their vote is counted on time.
Bottom Line for Nevada
In a state where races are often razor-thin, every vote matters – but so does public trust.
When ballots show up days later and change the outcome of a race, it fuels doubt, even if no fraud occurred. That’s a problem no matter your political party.
Trump’s executive order may still be tied up in court, but it’s already making waves.
And in places like Nevada, where election integrity is top of mind for many voters, it’s starting to look like real change could be on the way.
For conservatives who want to restore confidence in our elections, getting back to one simple rule – vote by Election Day, count by Election Day – just makes sense.
This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
