Washington: On Tuesday morning, Nevada’s secretary of state raised concerns over the high number of ballots rejected in the state’s largest counties, Clark and Washoe.
In Nevada, the signature on a mail-in ballot envelope must match one in the voter database. If signatures don’t match, voters have until Nov. 12 to “cure” their ballots, a process that allows them to address the discrepancy. According to state reports from Monday night, over 11,300 ballots in Clark County, where Las Vegas is located, and more than 1,800 in Washoe County require curing. In close races, a significant number of ballots needing cures could influence the final outcome.
In both counties, the number of ballots flagged for curing is higher than in 2020 and 2022, and officials expect this number to increase as more mail ballots are processed.
“When you start to examine the data and see such high numbers, it’s concerning,” Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar commented outside Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas.
“With margins so tight, we don’t want to be left waiting for ballots to be cured. It’s essential that every voter’s voice is heard.”, he added.
Why are the ballots being rejected?
Aguilar noted that signature mismatches were often due to younger voters whose signatures don’t match what’s on their driver’s licenses. “Young people today often lack consistent signatures,” he explained, noting that signatures captured through the DMV’s digital pads, as part of automatic voter registration, were often the source of the discrepancies.
To address this, his office is sending guidance to counties to ensure consistent application of the signature verification process statewide.
Nevada is a crucial swing state. In the last 30 Presidential elections, Nevada has voted for the winning candidate 27 times. It voted for the losing candidate only in 1908, 1976 and 2016.
The state has 6 Electoral College votes.
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