Nevada’s top elections official traveled to Washington, D.C. this week to watch the U.S. Supreme Court hear arguments in a case that could change how states count late-arriving mail ballots. Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar sat in on the arguments Monday, then warned his staff back in Carson City to start planning for possible changes before November.

He also had some choice words for the high court.

“To change the rules of the game in the middle of the competition does not do anyone any good,” Aguilar said.

That’s a rich statement. And it deserves a little context.

How Nevada’s Voting Rules Got Rewritten

The year was 2020. A pandemic was spreading. And Nevada’s election rules were about to change – twice.

It started in March of that year. Republican Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske announced that the June 9 primary would be conducted almost entirely by mail. She made that call in partnership with all 17 county election officials, citing the need to protect voters and poll workers during the pandemic. Then-Governor Steve Sisolak said at the time he respected her decision.

That was a one-time emergency call made by a Republican official. What came next was something very different.

Less than 97 days before the November general election, Democrats called a special legislative session. They drafted Assembly Bill 4 without involving Cegavske’s office. She said she only saw the bill one day before the Assembly voted on it.

“We were not involved in this bill’s writing at all,” Cegavske said at the time.

“I wish somebody would have asked us because we could have told you what we had planned.”

Democrats passed AB4 over a single weekend along strict party lines – every Democrat voted yes, every Republican voted no. Governor Sisolak signed it into law on August 3, 2020.

The bill sent mail ballots to every active registered voter in Nevada for the general election. It legalized ballot harvesting, letting someone other than the voter collect and turn in ballots.

It extended the deadline for counting mail ballots arriving days after Election Day. And it stripped powers from the Secretary of State’s office, handing them to the governor.

Then, less than a year later in 2021, Democrats made it all permanent through AB321. What started as a pandemic emergency became Nevada law forever.

Irony, Meet Cisco Aguilar

Now the Supreme Court is weighing in on a case called Watson v. RNC. The question before the justices is whether states can count mail ballots that arrive after Election Day. Conservative justices appeared skeptical of such grace periods during Monday’s arguments. A ruling is expected in June.

Read our prior coverage:

Supreme Court Weighs Mail-In Ballot Deadline Case With Nevada Implications

Aguilar says the timing is a problem. He says election planning takes months. He worries about voter confusion if the rules change close to November.

Those are fair practical points. But they ring hollow coming from a Democrat whose party rewrote Nevada’s entire election system in the middle of an election year – with less than 100 days to go – while cutting the state’s top election official out of the process entirely.

Adriana Guzman Fralick, a Republican candidate for Nevada Attorney General, put it plainly on social media:

“I guess he must have forgotten about Democrats using Covid to change the rules in the middle of the election. Give me a break”

NV SOS: “To change the rules of the game in the middle of the competition does not do anyone any good”

I guess he must have forgotten about Democrats using Covid to change the rules in the middle of the election. Give me a break

— Adriana Guzmán Fralick (@AdrianaForNV) March 24, 2026

Why This Matters

For conservatives who care about clean, transparent elections, the core issue is simple. Election Day should mean something. When ballots can keep trickling in for days after polls close, it creates uncertainty and chips away at public confidence in results.

Nevada’s own data shows the practical stakes are actually small. About 98% of mail ballots already arrive by Election Day.

Of the small share that arrive late, about 95% show up the very next day. The fix for most voters is straightforward: just mail your ballot a few days earlier, or use a dropbox.

What Comes Next

The Supreme Court’s ruling in Watson v. RNC is expected sometime this June. If the court rules that states cannot count late-arriving ballots, Nevada would need to make adjustments before the November midterm elections. Aguilar says his office will comply if the rules change.

In the meantime, conservatives have a few practical things worth doing. Pay attention to the Watson ruling when it comes down this summer. Support candidates who prioritize election integrity.

And if you plan to vote by mail in November, don’t wait until the last minute. Mail that ballot early and make sure it counts.

The rules of the game matter. They have always mattered. It would be nice if everyone agreed on that, including the people who rewrote them in the middle of 2020.

The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.