Nye County clerk: No time to eliminate electronic balloting

By Jessica Hill

Sunday, March 20, 2022 | 2 a.m.

The Nye County Commission last week asked the county clerk to consider using only paper ballots in the upcoming primary and general election, part of a larger push from Republican lawmakers to eliminate electronic balloting machines and tallies.

But Nye County Clerk Sandra Merlino said it would be impossible for her to implement changes for the June 14 primary. The biggest issue, Merlino said, is that there are no rules and regulations in place, and it would be difficult to get staffing ready.

“There’s so many things to consider and right now not enough time to put it in place,” Merlino said.

Clerks start preparing for the primary in January, Merlino said, so they’re already halfway through the process.

“To stop in the middle and try to purchase all the ballot boxes we need and hire an additional 100 people, it’s about impossible to do with the time we have,” Merlino said.

Commissioners do not have the authority to tell her how to conduct the elections, she said, but she is considering whether or not it can be done for the general election in November. She is working with the Nevada Secretary of State’s office to come up with an analysis for how it could work, how much it will cost, what kind of equipment they would need and how transportation of the ballots would work.

What’s happening in Nye County is a reflection of what Republican lawmakers are trying to do across the state and country. And if the clerk of a county with about 38,500 registered voters is expressing her doubts, how will a county like Clark, which has 1.5 million registered voters, see this implemented?

Lombardo leading the field

Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, the presumed front-runner of the GOP candidates running for governor, has kept to his promise to participate in debates and forums following Friday’s filing deadline.

The Keystone Corporation, a political action organization, is hosting a GOP governor candidate forum March 23 during its annual breakfast at the Orleans with the top five candidates participating. (Don’t expect much coverage as media outlets are only allowed in the invite by purchasing a $150 ticket.)

The candidates scheduled to participate include Lombardo, former Sen. Dean Heller, North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee, venture capitalist Guy Nohra and Reno attorney Joey Gilbert.

Gilbert took the spot of Michele Fiore, who announced last week she is no longer running for governor, having turned her eye to the state treasurer position.

A poll paid for by the Democratic Governors’ Association that was released last week shows Lombardo still in first place among Republican gubernatorial candidates. The poll was conducted by Public Policy Polling using texts and robocalls and was made up of 580 likely GOP voters, according to the Nevada Independent.

Lombardo received 26% of the support, with Heller and Lee tied at 13%. Gilbert received 12% and Fiore received 8% (which is irrelevant now). One percent said they’d support Nohra, and 27% are unsure.

With 27% of the poll respondents unsure and still more than two months until the June primary, the other candidates — theoretically — still have a chance to catch up to Lombardo.

All eyes on Cortez Masto

Nevada’s U.S. Senate race is being closely watched across the country, and different sides are tossing in money in hopes of either ousting Catherine Cortez Masto or keeping her in place.

CatholicVote, a national faith-based advocacy organization, announced last week that it is launching a six-figure ad campaign against Cortez Masto because of her recent efforts to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act. The act “protects a person’s ability to determine whether to continue or end a pregnancy, and to protect a health care provider’s ability to provide abortion services,” according to the bill text. It would nullify states’ restrictions on abortions.

Around the same time, a pro-choice Latina group launched a five-figure campaign to help Cortez Masto get reelected. The Poder PAC is a political action committee aiming to get Democratic pro-choice Latinas elected to Congress.

Cortez Masto, the first Latina elected to the Senate, is at the top of the Poder PAC’s protection list, according to an article last week from The Hill, and it’s no wonder why. Her race, likely against former President Donald Trump’s hand-picked opponent Adam Laxalt, could be the reason for the Senate to flip red.

Political analysts have labeled the senate race a toss-up, even though it was once considered to be in Democrats’ favor.

In terms of campaign fundraising, though, Republicans are facing an uphill battle. Cortez Masto had a nearly $10.5 million warchest at the beginning of the year, a figure that has most likely increased since. And out of all the Senate candidates across the country, Cortez Masto is seventh on the list of the most money raised.

Help for rural police

Cortez Masto last week introduced bipartisan legislation called the Invest to Protect Act to fund local police departments with fewer than 200 officers across Nevada. It will provide $250 million over the next five years to small police departments across the country. According to a statement from her office, departments in every county except Washoe and Clark have fewer than 200 officers.

“Our local law enforcement agencies need more funding and support to keep Nevadans safe,” Cortez Masto said in a statement. “My bipartisan bill would ensure that small agencies can easily access resources to provide training and mental health care for their officers and to invest in recruitment and retention to help keep great officers on the streets.”

Cortez Masto and Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., last week also sent a letter to President Joe Biden voicing their concerns regarding the Department of Veterans Affairs’ proposed closure of facilities in Nevada. They urged Biden to reject the VA’s recommendations to close some facilities.

The VA proposed closing the Winnemucca and Laughlin facilities in Nevada, as well as the Diamond View VA clinic in Susanville, Calif., which is just across the state line from Washoe, according to the letter.

“We are deeply concerned that the proposed closure of these VA health facilities would negatively impact local veterans, while also backtracking on the progress Congress and the VA have made over the past decade to improve care for veterans,” the senators wrote, also adding that Nevada has more than 225,000 veterans.

What to look for this week

The Clark County Democratic Party is having a committee meeting 1 p.m. Saturday on Zoom.

The countdown

Days to primary: 85

Days to midterms: 232