LAS VEGAS — On Friday, election certification meetings in Nevada’s most populated counties were disrupted by various voting conspiracy theories, even as officials in the state’s rural regions quietly ratified election results that favored President-elect Donald Trump.
The deadline for counties in this pivotal state to finalize their election results was Friday. Each of the 17 counties met this deadline in order to send their results for final endorsement later this month by Cisco Aguilar, the Democratic Secretary of State, and the Nevada Supreme Court. Candidates who did not win have until November 20 to seek a recount.
Nevada began the official process of certifying election results on Wednesday. In this election, Trump carried the state, achieving victories in all 15 rural counties. The officials in these areas unanimously certified his win against Vice President Kamala Harris during discussions this week, wherein numerous clerks received commendations from local authorities for their efficient handling of the election process.
In contrast, the meetings in the two counties where Harris garnered support—Clark County, which encompasses Las Vegas, and Washoe County, which includes Reno—echoed the contentious certification period witnessed four years prior after Trump’s defeat to President Joe Biden.
On Friday, Washoe County, known for its pivotal voting role, voted 3-1 to certify its election results, but not without enduring over two hours of intense public commentary. Attendees made various unproven allegations regarding unsecured ballots and claims that scanners could be hacked via the internet. One speaker ominously cautioned that “President Trump will be coming for you” if the vote was certified.
Commissioner Jeanne Herman was the only member to vote against the certification but did not provide reasons for her dissent. Herman has repeatedly cast votes against certifying election results since 2020 and attempted to reform the election process post Trump’s loss by advocating a return to paper ballots and manual counting.
Andrew McDonald, deputy registrar of voters in Washoe, asserted to the commissioners that there were no clerical mistakes that could potentially warrant a decision against certifying the election result.
“No voters were disenfranchised,” McDonald stated. “We conducted a fair, accurate, secure, and transparent election.”
Meanwhile, the Clark County commissioners in southern Nevada were also presented with an array of voting conspiracy theories. Ultimately, the board unanimously approved the certification of election results despite the audience, primarily filled with individuals demanding the board not to proceed with the certification. Some came forward with papers they claimed demonstrated election fraud, expressing disbelief that Trump and Sam Brown, the Republican Senate candidate, lost in the county despite Trump’s overall victory in Nevada.
Lorena Portillo, Clark County’s lead election official, informed commissioners that around 1,600 ballots were found during preparations for the meeting. Though these ballots had been processed previously, they had not been counted until now. Portillo noted that the additional ballots were incorporated into the county’s election totals without influencing the results of any races.
She confirmed that the secretary of state’s office had been informed immediately, and a thorough audit would be completed alongside state election officials to ensure accuracy and transparency in the electoral process.