Nevada’s election results will not be hijacked by conspiracy theories

Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020 | 2 a.m.

Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske isn’t standing silent as extremists in her party try to take down America’s democracy.

Last week, in a rebuke of President Donald Trump’s false claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, Cegavske offered a “Facts vs. Myths” explainer about the election results. Posted front-and-center on her office’s website, the document dismantles Trump’s big lie piece by piece.

Cegavske, a Republican herself, has been firm in declaring that the vote in Nevada was conducted fairly, and she reaffirms in the explainer that there was absolutely no evidence of widespread rigging.

We won’t print the entire four-page document here, but here’s a sampling:

Myth: The Secretary of State is not interested in investigating voter fraud because we have only half a person assigned to investigate.

Fact: We do investigate valid voter fraud complaints. Along with state and local law enforcement, we have a team of experienced investigators available to our Elections Division.

Myth: The Secretary of State has been presented with evidence of widespread fraud.

Fact: While we are pursuing action in a number of isolated cases, we have yet to see any evidence of widespread fraud.

Myth: Evidence of wrongdoing has been provided to the Secretary of State, but it is being ignored.

Fact: All Election Integrity Violation Reports (EIVRs) and all accusations with legitimate evidence are investigated. Hearsay, unfounded accusations and anonymous declarations are not evidence and will not be investigated.

Myth: Non-citizens were able to register and vote in Nevada.

Fact: It is a felony for non-citizens to register to vote or cast a ballot in Nevada. Any individuals who are found to have voted illegally will be prosecuted. As of 12/18/20 we have not been presented with evidence of non-citizens voting in the 2020 election.

Myth: Votes are sent to be counted outside of the country.

Fact: Nevada has 17 counties. Votes are only counted in the county in which they were cast in Nevada.

Myth: Dominion voting machines used in the 2020 election switched votes.

Fact: All voting machines undergo extensive pre-election and postelection examinations to ensure they function as expected. The Nevada Gaming Control Board tests and certifies our systems. The postelection audits and recounts conducted in Nevada confirmed that the machines accurately tabulated the votes cast.

For the full document, visit the site.

Cegavske and other election officials in Nevada, notably Clark County Registrar of Voters Joe Gloria, deserve credit for facilitating a successful election under enormously trying circumstances this year. So do all election officials and volunteers who remained committed to following the law and upholding the ideals of free and fair voting in spite of threats and pressure from those who desire chaos.

Cegavske wasn’t perfect during the run-up to the election — she undercut Nevada voters in opposing emergency voting measures approved by state lawmakers.

But she’s doing the right thing in countering Trump and the extremists supporting his bid to circumvent the will of Nevada voters.

As Cegavske once again made clear, President-elect Joe Biden won Nevada fair and square.

We urge Cegavske to stick to her guns and keep confronting her party’s lies about the election wherever and whenever they pop up.