Clerk-recorder: Ballots going out, early voting begins Oct. 19

A significant number Carson City Clerk-Recorder Scott Hoen recently gave the Appeal was 37,850 — the number of mail ballots ordered earlier in the month. His goal was to have sample ballots in the mail by the end of September and mail ballots heading to active voters the first week in October, though more could be sent due to ongoing voter registrations.

Early voting for the Nov. 5 General Election, which will decide the U.S. presidency and a host of state and local offices, starts Oct. 19 and runs through Nov. 1.

Hoen said there will be two weeks of early voting at the Carson City Community Center: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Polls will be closed Sundays but open on Nevada Day.

On Nov. 5, Election Day, polls will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Carson City Community Center, 851 E. William St., and at a new location at the Stewart Wellness Center in the Washoe Tribe’s Stewart Community, 465 Clear Creek Ave.

“Any voter may drop off a mail ballot at the drop boxes and vote at the Stewart location,” Hoen said.

The five locations for mail ballot drop boxes include:

• Carson City Courthouse/Elections Office, 885 E. Musser St., Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day.

• City Hall lobby, 201 N. Carson St., Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. “Unmanned but a camera is on the drop box 24/7,” Hoen added.

• Carson City Community Center, 851 E. William St., during election hours of early voting and Election Day.

• Carson Elder Center/Community Center, 401 Washoe St., Saturday, Oct. 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Monday, Oct. 21, from 2-6 p.m.; Wednesday, Oct. 23, from 8 a.m. to noon; Saturday, Oct. 26, from 10 a.m. to noon; Monday, Oct. 28, from 2-6 p.m.; Wednesday, Oct. 30, from 8 a.m. to noon; and Tuesday, Election Day, from 7 a.m. to noon.

• Stewart Wellness Center/Gymnasium, 465 Clear Creek Ave., only on Election Day, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Hoen said the last day to register to vote by paper is Oct. 8, the last day to register to vote online is Oct. 22, and, after this, only same-day registration will be available, which has specific guidelines.

The state’s voter registration portal is registertovote.nv.gov.

Information about same-day registration is online at nvsos.gov/sos/elections/election-information/same-day-registration.

On Sept. 11, Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar announced the implementation of the Voter Registration and Election Management Solution.

“VREMS creates a centralized, statewide voter registration database and election management system,” stated a news release. “Voters will have a more seamless voting experience — with the use of new poll pads at in-person voting locations, it is much easier to check voters in, register new voters or update a voter’s registration with same-day registration. This allows voters to get through the voting process more quickly.”

The new system is the result of 2021 legislation requiring a “top-down” system, the release said.

“Previously, each county had its own standalone voter registration database and different election management systems. This had a significant impact on county and state resources and was a barrier to accurate/timely reporting,” the release said.

VREMS went live in August to allow counties to update voter rolls, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

“Counties are prohibited from conducting routine list maintenance 90 days before a federal election, per the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA),” the release said. “Following the June Primary, the counties performed list maintenance programs until Aug. 7, 90 days before the November General Election. During this window, 125,031 voters were moved from ‘active’ to ‘inactive’ and 13,236 voters’ registrations were canceled.”

In Carson, 2,607 voters were inactivated, and 95 inactive voters on the rolls were canceled. Hoen said voters are moved to inactive status when they don’t respond to mail notifications as allowed for under federal law. Canceled status occurs when a voter has been confirmed deceased or has requested removal themselves.

Hoen said because of the VREMS implementation, Carson voters would be receiving voter registration cards in the mail. They don’t have to do anything with them, he said, and unlike mailers in other counties, the cards are not requesting personal information.

Anyone who would like to update their voter information can at registertovote.nv.gov.

Hoen expected upward of 95 poll workers to help with the election this year. He was also anticipating a big turnout “on mail ballot returns as well as in-person turnout.”