A view of the Department of Motor Vehicles office at 8250 W. Flamingo Road, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017.
Friday, Nov. 4, 2022 | 2 a.m.
Related Content
The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles is opening its doors to dozens of new residents in the mornings leading up to Tuesday’s election to expedite the process of transferring their IDs and registering them to vote in-state ahead of an increasingly close midterm election.
Because appointments at the Nevada DMV must be made a month in advance, the department has set aside a few hours each business day for new residents to walk in without an appointment to obtain a Nevada identification card and register to vote before Election Day, said Robin Allender, a field services administrator.
“We wanted to make this as easy as possible for them,” Allender said.
The DMV first instituted the program in 2020, Allender said. So far this election season, the department has seen up to 10 new residents each day in its smaller offices, and up to 50 people in its larger Southern Nevada offices, she said.
The Nevada Secretary of State Office offers same-day voter registration, allowing residents to register for the first time or update their registration the day they vote. But an individual must have a valid Nevada identification and vote in person to take advantage.
New residents can walk in between 8:30 and 11:30 a.m. Monday through Friday to transfer their out-of-state IDs and vehicle registration to Nevada, according to the DMV website. Though Nevada doesn’t typically require a state ID at the polls, it is needed for voter registration this close to the election, said Kevin Malone, DMV public information officer.
Allender anticipates the DMV numbers increasing in the last few days before Tuesday,Election Day.
“We know as we get closer to the election, we will be seeing more people that are trying to accomplish that,” Allender said. “So we will do whatever we can to accommodate them.”
New residents must provide proof of their name, date of birth and residency, and change of name, if applicable. Allender recommended checking the DMV’s website about any required documentation before arriving, and to check if any tasks can be completed online.
More than 74,000 residents have surrendered an out-of-state ID since the beginning of this year, for an average of around 8,200 per month, according to the DMV.
“We don’t want to stand in anyone’s way of being able to register to vote,” Malone said.
Residents who choose to register to vote or update their existing registration online after early voting has started are also required to vote in person and produce a valid Nevada ID, the secretary of state’s website says.
