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Stories from the KUNR newsroom and regional partners related to the 2022 elections

Washoe County Commission District 2 candidates debate election integrity

Four men in suits sit at a table, smiling for a photo. Behind them are three television screens with a graphic that reads, “Nevada Newsmakers.”
Lucia Starbuck
/
KUNR Public Radio
Nevada Newsmakers host Sam Shad (from left), Reno Gazette-Journal’s Local Government Reporter Mark Robison, and Washoe County Commission District 2 candidates Democrat Keith Lockard and Republican Mike Clark at a debate in Reno, Nev., on Oct. 5, 2022.

Candidates for Washoe County Commission District 2 disagreed about election integrity during a debate hosted by the Reno Gazette-Journal and Nevada Newsmakers on Wednesday.

Clark is wearing a suit and sitting at a table. He’s posing for a photo and holding his glasses in his hands.
Lucia Starbuck
/
KUNR Public Radio
Michael ‘Mike’ Clark is a candidate for Washoe County Commission District 2.
Lockard is wearing a suit and sitting at a table. He’s smiling for a photo.
Lucia Starbuck
/
KUNR Public Radio
Keith Lockard is a candidate for Washoe County Commission District 2.

District 2 represents southern Washoe County, including Double Diamond, Hidden Valley, Galena, and Washoe Valley.

There isn’t an incumbent running in this race because Republican Mike Clark, who is the Washoe County assessor, beat Bob Lucey during the primary in June. Clark is running against Democrat Keith Lockard, a retired civil engineer for the City of Reno.

The two disagreed about the legitimacy of elections. Clark said he would support hand-counting ballots, a method fueled by baseless claims of widespread voter fraud.

“I would, instead of asking about counting the ballots by hand, I think the foundational basis is the voter rolls. Let’s make sure those are accurate,” Clark said.

The interim Registrar of Voters for Washoe County says voter rolls are checked continuously.

Lockard said hand-counting will move the county backward, and he believes the 2020 election was secure.

“There were numerous challenges in the past election that were raised; none of those produced any meaningful results that there was any problem with the voting process in Nevada,” Lockard said.

Early voting for the general election begins on October 22.

You can watch the full debate below, which was filmed at the Nevada Trucking Association on Wednesday, October 5, and published on Thursday, October 6.

Lucia Starbuck is an award-winning political journalist and the host of KUNR’s monthly show Purple Politics Nevada. She is passionate about reporting during election season, attending community events, and talking to people about the issues that matter most to them.
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