Why This Matters to You
President Trump recently signed an executive order that would change how mail-in ballots are handled in 18 states and Puerto Rico. The biggest change? No more counting ballots that arrive after Election Day is over. This is a big deal for folks who value clear election results and want to know who won on election night.
The order doesn’t allow any mail-in or absentee ballots received after Election Day to be counted. This affects states like Nevada, where current law allows ballots to be counted if they’re postmarked by Election Day and received up to four days later.
The Current Voter Landscape
In a notable development, Nevada’s Secretary of State recently released updated voter registration numbers showing Democrats now hold a razor-thin advantage over Republicans. As of March, there are 615,541 registered Democrats compared to 615,539 Republicans—just a two-voter difference in the entire state.
Interestingly, non-partisan voters make up the largest group with 725,071 registrations, or about 34.45% of all active voters. This close party registration highlights why every vote—and every voting rule—matters in battleground states.
How Nevada Got Here
During COVID, Nevada changed its voting rules. The state legislature voted to send mail-in ballots to every active registered voter. They also decided that ballots could arrive up to four days after Election Day and still count. In 2021, they made these temporary changes permanent.
In the 2024 presidential election, Clark County counted about 451,000 ballots. Just over 2% of those ballots arrived after Election Day. That might seem small, but in close races, even a few thousand votes can change who wins.
Why Conservatives Support This Change
Many conservatives see Trump’s order as a return to common sense. Election Day should mean just that – the day when elections end, not when they begin a week-long counting process.
Republican Nevada Assemblywoman Danielle Gallant supports the change:
“Even though there was no proof of widespread election fraud in the 2020 election, over 70% of Americans believe something funny went down, and they don’t trust our election process. This is a step towards gaining the trust of the public back into our election process.”
The order also brings back the idea of personal responsibility.
“In Nevada, you can early vote up to two weeks before election day. There are sites all over the state where you can do it in person. Everybody gets a universal mail-in ballot, and so you can either mail it in or you can drop it off at the ballot locations,” said Gallant.
With so many ways to vote, having a firm deadline seems reasonable to many.
What Critics Are Saying
Not everyone is happy with the change. The ACLU of Nevada sees it differently.
Sadmira Ramic, senior staff attorney for the organization, said:
“What you see here is an administration that is continuing their agenda of trying to continue spreading misinformation about voter fraud, and now that we have a president in the position that he is in weaponizing the federal government to now do what they couldn’t do in courts.”
Kerry Durmick, Nevada State Director for All Voting is Local, worries about the “curing process” – where voters can fix problems with their ballots up to six days after Election Day.
Durmick explains:
“Basically, your whatever county you live in, will reach out to you and say, ‘Hey, you didn’t sign your ballot’, or ‘It didn’t match.’ And you go through that process, and then your ballot is counted. This would completely erase that process.”
What Happens Next
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford is “evaluating potential legal options,” while Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar is “working with counsel to research their options.” States may challenge whether the president has the authority to make these changes.
For conservative voters, this is a chance to stand up for election integrity. You might consider contacting your representatives, writing letters to local newspapers, making sure your own ballot is submitted early, or talking to friends about the importance of knowing results on election night.
As the debate continues, the key question remains:
Should Election Day mark the end of voting, or just the beginning of a week-long counting process?
For many who value limited government and personal responsibility, the answer is clear.
This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
