A few weeks before early voting kicked off, at a warehouse currently being renovated to house Washoe County’s election operations, Deputy Registrar of Voters Reggie Greer Jr. spent some time explaining the process of getting voting equipment ready for the midterms.
“So what we're looking at here is the PRELAT area, or logic and accuracy testing area,” he began. “If you take a look far over there in the corner, as well as all these tables, you’ll see our voter setup.”
According to Greer, election staff had to test 900 voting booths by hand to prepare for the Nov. 3 midterm. That’s because none of those machines are connected to the internet or any other network.
“Manual activation of a ballot, inserting a voter card, making sure the appropriate ballot comes up, depending on the precinct. All of that is being tested right now,” he said.
Throughout the process, observers were welcome to be in the room. And now that early voting’s underway, they can watch ballots being cast and processed, either in person or via Washoe County’s livestream.
Those opportunities were meant to allay concerns over election integrity. According to a Gallup poll from July, two-thirds of voters were concerned political leaders might try to change the results.
But election officials and experts say U.S. elections are secure and the system is designed to protect the will of the voters.
“You've seen this huge evolution of the challenges that election officials face, whether that's cybersecurity, whether that's the information environment, and physical security as well,” said Ben Hovland, Senior Fellow with the Center for American Progress and former U.S. Election Assistance Commission chairman.
Hovland said faith in elections took a hit after President Donald Trump denied his loss to Joe Biden, in a falsehood known as the “Big Lie.” Now that Trump’s back in power, Hovland said he’s trying to influence this election.
“You're also seeing much of the federal government apparatus being, you know, weaponized or at least directed to make election officials' lives more difficult,” he said.
That’s left many voters worried the administration could send armed agents to the polls. Such a move would violate the law, and federal officials say they don’t plan on it. But Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has also said ICE could show up in response to specific threats.
Washoe County Registrar of Voters Andrew McDonald doesn’t expect that to happen, but if it does, he said his office is ready. Following state guidance, they adopted a response plan in case the feds do appear. And if voters encounter any kind of disruption on Election Day, they can always head to another of the county’s more than 40 vote centers.
“We are telling voters, continue to vote. This is a distraction for whatever reason,” he said. “If you walk away, that's potentially what folks want to happen.”
Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar said Trump’s ultimately trying to federalize elections, which is unconstitutional.
“They're layering threats and intimidation efforts at us,” he said. “It starts off as one, then you add another, and it's like lasagna. As you keep adding on, they become pretty substantial. But we're prepared for it.”
Those efforts include a Department of Justice lawsuit seeking private information about Nevada voters. A federal judge dismissed the case in August. A month later, the state looked into Trump Administration claims that 185 noncitizens appeared on Nevada voter rolls. All of them were, in fact, entitled to cast a ballot.
“A third grader has to show more work on a math problem than DHS is showing trying to prove non-citizens,” Aguilar said.
Aguilar’s office has also made changes to bolster faith in the process. On Thursday, he announced a new online portal where anyone can see how many ballots have been returned. The state also adopted new voting machines that produce paper ballots.
Meanwhile, McDonald said every voter should be confident their voice will be heard.
“If you're worried about that intimidation,” he said, “Vote your mail ballot. And just vote it from the comfort of your home. But send it in early.”
And for the rest of the week, voters can vote early in person, too.
