Compared to other swing states, Brennan Center for Justice Senior Counsel Alice Clapman believes Nevada is doing a lot right.
“It has election officials in place who are acting responsibly, and so all of that is reassuring,” she said
Clapman authored a report outlining steps states can take to protect the democratic process in 2024. It’s necessary to take precautions, she said, because this will be the first presidential race since supporters of former President Donald Trump attempted to violently overturn the election results after he lost to President Joe Biden.
More than 600 people have been convicted in connection to the Jan. 6 insurrection so far, but Clapman is worried the election-denial movement could try to interfere again.
“We’re very concerned about the role that extremism and disinformation may play in the 2024 election,” she said. “That’s part of what motivated us to put this report out.”
The report includes a list of best practices ranging from professional development for election workers to stronger laws against voter intimidation. In many cases, Clapman singled out Nevada as a model to follow. For example, she pointed to expanded protections for state election workers that were passed during the last legislative session – but Clapman cautioned the work is not done.
“The biggest challenge ahead is to make sure that both election workers are protected, and the state can retain more of those workers,” she said.
This follows a wave of resignations from state election officials after false claims about the 2020 race triggered a backlash from the political right.
Clapman also said Nevada should do more to stop people bringing guns to the polls. In May, Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed a bill that would have made the practice illegal.
Overall, Clapman’s worried that extremism and election disinformation could keep voters away.
“I am very concerned about people who are convinced that elections don’t work and that they’re riddled with fraud, trying to play more of a role at polling places,” she said.
The photo included in this story is licensed under Flickr Creative Commons.
