Washoe County residents displaced by the Hawk Fire may also face disruptions to their regular mail service, creating potential complications for voters expecting to receive a ballot by mail.
Election officials are asking voters who are no longer receiving mail at their usual address to contact the Washoe County Registrar’s Office and update their mailing address.
George Guthrie, the office’s public information officer, said the United States Postal Service does not forward mail ballots to a new address.
“They absolutely need to change their mailing address so that way their mail ballot can get to them,” Guthrie said. “Mail ballots are not forwardable.”
Instead, voters can provide the registrar with the address where they are currently receiving mail, including a family member’s home, a post office box or an address outside Nevada.
Guthrie said a voter’s residential address should remain unchanged if they intend to return home, while their mailing address can be updated to reflect where they are temporarily staying.
The registrar’s office can also provide accommodations for displaced voters who are unable to receive mail.
“One process that we do is something called a counter ballot, where we can create a ballot here in the office and provide it to them,” Guthrie said. “That is available as soon as mail ballots go out for those that are displaced.”
Guthrie said registered voters who visit the office to receive election materials can identify themselves without presenting an ID.
Sample ballots and other election information are also available through the county’s voter website.
Registered voters can also cast their ballots in person at any available election center during early voting or on Election Day.
