WASHINGTON –
With Congressional control pending, officials in Nevada’s closely watched races for the Senate and House of Representatives, as well as the governor, continued to count votes on Thursday.
The counting of votes has been going on for days, but that is not unusual for Nevada, where previously a vote count was not counted until after election night. In the two most populous counties, officials warned in advance that it would take days to process the outstanding ballots.
NEVADA’s WAY
Several things have slowed Nevada’s vote count in recent elections.
First, Nevada also has problems with long lines of voters at the end of the poll, even though Nevadans traditionally choose to vote early. The state will not release the results of the count until all the voters lined up at the most recent poll have cast their votes.
Second, in 2020, Nevada significantly expanded absentee voting, sending one ballot to every registered voter. The state has also passed legislation to do so in future elections.
That same year, nearly 15% of Nevada’s votes were not reported until after election night – and it took three days for the state to report 100% of the votes.
This year, voting officials in the two most populous counties, including the population centers of Las Vegas and Reno, warned it would take days to process the outstanding ballots.
The county elections clerk will count mail-in ballots received through November 12 as long as they are postmarked by Election Day, and
Officials have until November 17 to finish the tally and file a report with the Nevada secretary of state’s office, according to state law.
The state does not have a mandatory vote counting law,
WHAT HAS NOT BEEN SENDED?
– A Senate race between incumbent Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto and former Republican State Attorney General Adam Laxalt.
Laxalt and Cortez Masto have been locked in a tight race for weeks, both hitting hard on the national party’s debating positions: Laxalt blames inflation and illegal immigration on policies. Democrats, and Cortez Masto promised to block GOP-led efforts to ban abortion nationwide and fight for a path to permanent citizenship for undocumented immigrants arriving. country at a young age.
– The race for governor between incumbent Democrat Steve Sisolak and GOP County Sheriff Clark Joe Lombardo.
The campaign was costly and controversial, with airwaves and internet flooding in recent weeks with advertisements sponsored by the candidates, their parties and political action committees aimed at purpose of amplifying their differences. Both candidates predicted the outcome of the race would not be known for several days – with each predicting he or she would win.
– Three House races where the Democratic incumbents face stiff challenges.
In two neighborhoods stretching from Las Vegas through the suburbs to the countryside, second-term Representative Susie Lee faced off Republican April Becker, and third-term Representative Steven Horsford faced off against Republican April Becker. with Republican Samuel Peters.
As a result of the redistricting, 6-term Representative Dina Titus takes the hot seat in the Democratic Party’s traditional stronghold of the Las Vegas Strip after party strategists sacrificed some turf in exchange. take advantage of elsewhere. Mark Robertson, a retired Army colonel, is trying to become the first Republican to win a District 1 seat since 1998.
WHAT WE KNOW
–With about 80% of the votes counted, Republicans are leading their Democratic rivals by single-digit percentage points.
– There is still a significant amount of vote-by-mail ballots. Elections officials will count ballots received through Saturday, as long as they are postmarked by Election Day.
– Officials say there are tens of thousands of ballots still counted in Las Vegas’ Clark County.
– Republicans and Republicans are urging their supporters to be patient while officials continue to count votes.
–Nevada wasn’t called in the 2020 presidential election until the Saturday after Election Day – the same day Pennsylvania (and thus president) was called for Joe Biden.
WHAT WE STILL DON’T KNOW
– Beyond the jarring questions – who won the Senate and governor race? – it’s also not clear how many more votes from the drop-down boxes are counted.
– The total number of votes outstanding in Reno’s Washoe County is also unclear.
