Fact Sheet [PDF] 

On March 24, 2020 the Republican Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske announced the June 9 primary would be all mail.  This led to several lawsuits and at one point President Trump even weighed in threatening aid to the state if the all mail vote went ahead.  The expectation is that Nevada will return to in-person voting for the general election in November.
Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske
March 24, 2020

Secretary Cegavske Announces Plan to Conduct the June 9, 2020 Primary Election by All Mail

(Carson City, NV; March 24, 2020) – Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske, in partnership with Nevada’s 17 county election officials, announces today plans to conduct an all-mail election for the June 9, 2020 primary election.  All active registered voters in Nevada will be mailed an absentee ballot for the primary election.  No action or steps, such as submitting an absentee ballot request application, will be required by individual voters in order to receive a ballot in the mail.  Voters will be able to mark their ballot at home and then return it by mail using a postage-prepaid envelope or by dropping it off in person at a designated county location.  This announcement applies only to the June 9, 2020 primary election.

Secretary Cegavske seeks to reassure voters in Nevada that their health and safety while participating in voting is paramount to state and local election officials.  “Because of the many uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the immediate need to begin preparations for the 2020 primary election, it became necessary for me to take action regarding how the election will be conducted,” said Cegavske.  “Based on extensive conversations with Nevada’s 17 county election officials, we have jointly determined that the best option for the primary election is to conduct an all-mail election.”

In order to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, federal and state health officials have discouraged group gatherings.  The training of thousands of poll workers who support Nevada’s large in-person voter effort was scheduled to begin next week.  The majority of Nevada’s poll workers belong to groups that are at high-risk for severe illness from COVID-19.  In order to maintain a high level of access to the ballot, while protecting the safety of voters and poll workers, the decision to conduct an all-mail primary election was made.

Even though the majority of voters will be casting a mail ballot for the June 9, 2020 primary election, the high standard Nevada has set for ensuring the security, fairness, and accuracy of elections will still be met.  Deputy Secretary of State for Elections Wayne Thorley said, “The priority of the Secretary of State’s Elections Division is to ensure every eligible Nevadan has the opportunity to safely vote in the primary election and that the integrity of the election is maintained.  We are working with our 17 county election officials to implement the changes necessary to successfully administer this election.”

In order to accommodate same-day voter registration, as well as assist voters who have issues with the ballot that was mailed to them, at least one in-person polling location will be available in each county for the June 9, 2020 primary election.  These polling locations will be set up to ensure the safety of voters and poll workers alike.  Because in-person voting opportunities will be extremely limited for the primary election, Nevadans are encouraged to register to vote now and not rely on the same-day registration process.  Voters are also encouraged to confirm that their voter registration information is up-to-date, including mailing address and political party affiliation.  Visit www.RegisterToVoteNV.gov to register to vote online or make updates to your existing voter record.

Voters are reminded that absentee ballots must be dropped off in person by the close of polls on Election Day, or postmarked by Election Day.  Ballots that are postmarked by Election Day and received no later than seven days after the election will be counted.  Additionally, if a voter fails to sign the ballot return envelope or the voter’s signature does not match the one on file with the county election official, the voter will be contacted, and the voter will have up to the seventh day after the election to make the necessary correction.  It is important to understand that these statutory deadlines will result in updating vote totals and election results for up to seven days after the election.  Close races may remain undecided until all ballots are counted.  All counties must certify the election results no later than 10 days after the election.

For more information about the June 9, 2020 primary election, please contact the Secretary of State’s Elections Division at (775) 684-5705 or nvelect@sos.nv.gov.

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True the Vote
April 23, 2020

True the Vote Sues Nevada to Protect Voters’ Rights

Asks court to stop Nevada secretary of state from imposing universal mail-in voting by administrative fiat because it removes safeguards against fraudulent votes; usurps the legislature; and violates citizens’ constitutional rights

Reno, NV, April 22, 2020 – True the Vote today filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada on behalf of three registered Nevada voters asking for declaratory and injunctive relief to halt the secretary of state’s imposition of an  “all-mail election”  (Stanley William Paher, et al. v. Barbara Cegavske, in her capacity as Nevada Secretary of State and Deanna Spikula, in her official capacity as Registrar of Voters for Washoe County (No. 3:20-cv-00243)). The lawsuit argues the secretary of state’s mail-in-balloting plan violates both the Nevada and United States Constitutions and that imposing an “all-mail election” would lead to widespread election fraud.

On March 24, 2020, supposedly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Republican Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske bent to demands by Democrats and state administrators and announced a plan essentially to abolish in-person voting and conduct, instead, an “all-mail election” for the June 9, 2020 primary election. According to the plan, all active registered voters in Nevada automatically will be mailed a primary-election ballot for mail-in voting. Voters are not required to take any action or steps, such as submitting a mail-in-ballot request application, in order to receive a ballot in the mail.

True the Vote claims specifically that the secretary of state’s plan to impose universal mail-in voting (“all-mail” voting) violates citizens’ right to vote because it:

  • removes safeguards against fraudulent votes that dilute legal votes;
  • violates citizens’ rights to vote in federal elections with the manner of election chosen by the state legislature;
  • usurps elected representatives’ constitutional prerogative to choose the manner of election and replaces the electoral system devised by the legislature with a plan devised and implemented by unelected administrators and political appointees;
  • transgresses the U.S. Supreme Court’s repeated admonition (based on the so-called “Purcell Principle”) that the courts ordinarily should not alter election rules on the eve of an election, which, because the Principle is anchored in the right to vote and its potential debasement, applies equally to political appointees and state and local election administrators as well; and
  • violates citizens’ right to a republican form of government guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.
On April 16th, Nevada Democrats, backed by career bureaucrats, pressed even further, suing  to force Secretary Cegavske to mail ballots to every name in the voter registry, not just active registrations. Additionally, they seek to weaken current state rules that invalidate ballots because of mismatched signatures and prohibit vote harvesting.

The lawsuit filed against Nevada today comes less than a month after True the Vote won a stunning victory for election integrity in New Mexico, stopping the state’s efforts to impose universal mail-in voting. On March 30, a group of New Mexico county clerks together with the secretary of state, petitioned the Supreme Court to shut down all in-person voting in the June 2 New Mexico primary election and impose, instead, universal mail-in voting.

On April 14, the New Mexico Supreme Court unanimously rejected the bureaucrats’ demand for the Court to go over the legislature’s head and impose universal mail-in balloting from the bench. Instead, the Court directed county clerks to mail absentee ballot applications to all registered voters, preserving the option to vote by mail while still supporting security measures to protect against fraud.

“Three weeks ago, we prevailed with the New Mexico Supreme Court to stop an unconstitutional scheme that would have imposed universal mail-in voting from the bench. Today we are in federal court to defend the rights of Nevada voters,” said True the Vote President Catherine Engelbrecht. “These are just two of many states that are being used in a well-orchestrated globalist scheme to intentionally destabilize state run election processes, giving free-range to fraud in ways that will remain long after the fog of COVID has lifted. This is a blatant attempt to silence the voice of the American voter by destroying the processes that keep elections free and fair.  We’re asking all American voters to stand with us in defense of voters’ rights. Make no mistake, if we do not act now to preserve our liberties, they will be taken from us.”

James Bopp, Jr., of The Bopp Law Firm PC, lead counsel for the Nevada Voters, and General Counsel for True the Vote Voters’ Rights Initiative says: “There are national implications for voters nationwide. There is no precedent for such an extraordinary legal action seeking to overturn laws passed laws by the Legislature to regulate voting in state elections and to put the state courts in charge. Should these Democrat politicians succeed here, it would create a precedent for other state courts to follow in Nevada’s footsteps and to impose similarly unprotected and unrestricted voting procedures though the nearly unlimited equitable power of the courts.”

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True the Vote
Catherine Engelbrecht
April 29, 2020

Democrat National Committee Steps in to Crush Constitutional Rights in Nevada

DNC petitions court to intervene with Secretary of State in continued violation of citizens’ voting rights

Reno, NV, April 28, 2020 –  A new bloc has emerged in True the Vote’s legal battle to protect Nevada’s voters, with the Democrat National Committee petitioning the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada to join with state election officials. True the Vote’s lawsuit argues against the secretary of state’s administrative fiat to force universal mail-in balloting, violating both the Nevada and United States Constitutions and leading to widespread, uncontrollable election fraud.

On March 24, 2020, supposedly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Republican Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske bent to demands by Democrats and state administrators and announced a plan essentially to abolish in-person voting and conduct, instead, the June 9, 2020 primary election by universal mail-in balloting. According to the plan, all active registered voters in Nevada automatically will be mailed a primary-election ballot for mail-in voting. Voters are not required to take any action or steps, such as submitting an application, in order to receive a ballot, as required in traditional absentee balloting.

On April 16th, in a separate state court lawsuit, Nevada Democrats sued to force Secretary Cegavske to mail ballots to every name in the voter registry, not just active registrations. Additionally, they seek to weaken current state rules that invalidate ballots because of mismatched signatures and prohibit vote harvesting.

Now that Secretary Cegavske’s administrative fiat faces a legal challenge from True the Vote, the Democrats must support the Secretary’s anti-Constitutional actions in the federal court case so that they can then sue the Secretary in state court to further expand an agenda that will destroy the rights of Nevada voters and establish a legal precedent ripe for national application in November’s elections.

What neither the Republican Secretary of State or National and State Democrat Committees anticipated was legal opposition from citizens across Nevada who refuse to cede their Constitutional rights.

The final hearing on the merits of the federal case is scheduled for Wednesday, April 28th.  The court ruling is expected before the end of the week.  Should the court rule against the Nevada voters, True the Vote will immediately file with the US Court of Appeals.

“This is about preserving Constitutional rights and protecting election integrity” said True the Vote President Catherine Engelbrecht. “Nevada’s election laws already provide for absentee balloting, so voters who want to cast their ballot by mail can still do so. We are fighting to preserve options, to preserve checks and balances, to preserve integrity of process. Universal mail out of ballots to active and inactive voters, watering down security provisions, and encouraging unlimited ballot harvesting by special interests groups reads like a recipe for absolute and intentional election chaos.”

We’re asking all American voters to stand with us in defense of voters’ rights. Make no mistake, if we do not act now to preserve our liberties, they will be taken from us.”

James Bopp, Jr., of The Bopp Law Firm PC, lead counsel for the Nevada Voters, and General Counsel for True the Vote Voters’ Rights Initiative says: “There are national implications for voters nationwide. There is no precedent for such an extraordinary bureaucratic action to overturn laws passed laws by the Legislature to regulate voting in state elections and to put the bureaucrats in charge. Should these politicians succeed in Nevada, it would create a precedent for others to follow and to impose similarly unprotected and unrestricted voting procedures though bureaucratic fiat.”

Plaintiffs’ Preliminary-Injunction Motion
Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief
National Democrat Committee Motion to Intervene

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Nevada State Democratic Party
April 30, 2020

NV DEMS STATEMENT ON COURT’S DECISION TO REJECT REPUBLICANS’ ATTEMPT TO BLOCK MAIL-IN ELECTION

Nevada State Democratic Party Chair William McCurdy II released the following statement in response to the federal district court decision to deny a request to block Nevada’s planned all-mail election:

“It’s not surprising the court threw out this lawsuit--it was a brazen attempt at voter suppression and based on legally and factually unfounded claims. This was the right move. Republicans are trying their hardest to keep Americans from voting because they know when more people participate, Democrats win.”
Democratic National Committee
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
Nevada State Democratic Party
Priorities USA
May 5, 2020

Democrats Notch Big Win in Lawsuit to Expand Voting in Nevada Primary

Today, the DNC, DCCC, NSDP, and Priorities USA filed a notice withdrawing our preliminary injunction motion after the Clark County Registrar announced changes to the upcoming primary election to expand voting access. 

The Clark County Registrar agreed to the following concessions after Democrats’ joint lawsuit filed last month:

  • Send mail ballot to all registered voters, including inactive voters, in Clark County (which accounts for more than 81% of all inactive voters in the state)
  • Establish two additional polling locations in Clark County
  • Make sure each flagged signature is reviewed by at least two reviewers of different parties, and that if one of those two employees questions whether the signature on the ballot envelope matches the signature of the voter, the signature will be reviewed by the supervisor of elections, and, if necessary, by the Registrar of Voters

  • Instruct employees reviewing signatures that a signature raises a reasonable question of fact as to whether it matches the signature on file if it differs in multiple, significant and obvious respects from the signature on file, and that slight dissimilarities should be resolved in favor of the voter whenever possible

  • Reach out via mail, and telephone or email (if the voter has provided that information), within 24 hours of receipt of a ballot or as soon thereafter as possible, if the voter is required to cure a signature issue

  • Deputize and train twenty individuals, including Democrats, Republicans, and nonpartisans, to serve as field registrars of voters (pursuant to NRS 293.505) who, as agents of the Registrar’s office, shall travel and receive voted, sealed mail ballots from voters during the June 9, 2020 primary

The Democratic National Committee, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Nevada State Democratic Party, and Priorities USA released the following joint statement in response to the Clark County Registrar’s decision to expand voting access in the upcoming primary:

“The Clark County Registrar made the right decision in moving to mail ballots to all registered voters--not just those deemed ‘active,’ expanding the number of in-person polling locations, and updating their signature review process. We also applaud the steps the registrar is taking to allow Nevadans to more readily cure their signatures should their ballots be rejected.  Finally, we appreciate the registrar’s decision to appoint additional field registrars to receive mail ballots from voters at their homes as needed.
 
“Nevada’s other county elections departments should follow Clark County's lead to ensure nobody has to choose between their health and their right to vote. While the decision to increase the number of in-person polling locations from the required one to now three is a step in the right direction and should suffice for a low turnout primary, it is wholly inadequate to serve Clark County voters in the general election. These efforts by Clark County allow us to withdraw our request for preliminary relief prior to the primary election. We will continue fighting to expand early and in-person voting and make voting by mail as accessible as possible for the general election.”
 
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True the Vote
May 14, 2020

True the Vote Continues Battle to Protect Voters in Nevada and Virginia

True the Vote’s “Voter Rights Initiative” files preliminary injunctions to maintain voting safeguards as states pursue expanded vote by mail efforts

HOUSTON, Texas – True the Vote, as part of its Voter Rights Initiative, today filed legal action in Nevada and Virginia in order to preserve critical voting safeguards that are necessary to upholding the integrity of elections.

“As more and more efforts are made across the country to mandate voting by mail, True the Vote is committed to ensuring Americans’ constitutional voting rights are upheld, that their option to vote at polling places is not taken away, and that proper security measures are in place to guarantee that all eligible votes are properly counted,” said Catherine Engelbrecht, founder of True the Vote. “All Americans should be concerned by the radical changes being made to our election processes under the guise of public health related to the COVID-19 outbreak. The sudden shift to all-mail ballots is only part of what’s happening. They are stripping essential security measures, like Voter ID laws and signature verification; sending ballots to inaccurate addresses and ineligible voters; and counting ballots received after Election Day. While implementing appropriate public health safeguards is a priority, so too must be protecting the integrity of our elections.”

“All across the country, there are Democrats using the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to illegally dilute voter rights, regardless of the laws in place meant to protect every American’s vote at the ballot box,” said True the Vote General Counsel James Bopp, Jr., lead counsel for the Plaintiff Voters in the Nevada and Virginia law suits. “No one is against traditional absentee balloting, but everyone who values the rule of law should be against efforts of unaccountable bureaucrats to expand mail in voting in a manner that removes critical anti-vote-fraud protections and the option of voting in person at a polling place, which is the most secure manner to ensure ballots are cast legally and accurately.”

In Nevada, True the Vote filed a preliminary injunction to challenge the Secretary of State’s imposition of universal mail in balloting, where ballots are mailed wholesale to every registered voter without the legally required request, and Clark County’s decision to illegally mail ballots also to inactive voters and to hire illegal ballot harvesters.

In Virginia, True the Vote filed a preliminary injunction to stop the Virginia State Board of Elections from designating everyone in Virginia as “disabled” as a means to illegally allow all voters to request an absentee ballot, even though current law passed by the Virginia State Assembly prevents them from doing so. This action will result in disenfranchisement of voters, since Virginia election officials are not equipped with the resources needed to handle a mass influx of mail ballots, and they do not have procedures in place to guarantee that all eligible voters will receive a ballot.

To date, True the Vote has taken legal action in New Mexico, Nevada, and Virginia, with plans to engage in more states as necessary, where groups are taking steps to usurp the rule of law and remove critical safeguards that guarantee free and fair elections.


Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske
May 20, 2020

Statement in Response to Tweet from President Donald Trump Regarding Nevada’s Mail-In Ballot

From the Office of the Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske:

In March 2020, as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic and following state and federal guidance and emergency directives, Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske, in partnership with Nevada’s 17 county election officials, made the necessary and prudent decision to conduct the 2020 primary election using mail-in ballots. This decision, which was not made lightly, both ensured the primary election could move forward as scheduled and provided a way to protect the health and safety of voters and election workers in Nevada.

For over a century, Nevadans, including members of the military, citizens residing outside the state, voters in designated mailing precincts, and voters requesting absentee ballots, have been voting by mail with no evidence of election fraud. All 17 counties have established processes and procedures in place for safe and secure mail-in voting.

Secretary Cegavske lawfully declared the 2020 primary election as a mail-in election. In a recent court order, a federal judge ruled that Secretary Cegavske lawfully exercised authority granted to her by state law to call for a primary election conducted primarily by mail ballot.

Nevada has many safeguards in place to ensure the integrity of an all-mail election, including signature requirements and verification processes, preprinted ballot return envelopes, barcode tracking, and laws against ballot harvesting. Voters concerned with mailing in their ballot may drop off their ballot at any designated drop-off location in their county.
Nevada State Democratic Party
May 20, 2020

NV DEMS STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO TRUMP’S TWEET ON PRIMARY ELECTION

Nevada State Democratic Party spokesperson Molly Forgey released the following statement in response to Donald Trump’s tweet threatening to withhold federal aid to Nevada in response to the primary election:

“After the Republican Secretary of State made the decision to turn our primary into an all-mail election with two in-person polling locations that would service 87% of our population and result in extremely long lines during a pandemic, it was Democrats who sued for more in-person polling locations to prevent lines and to ensure all registered voters received a ballot. Plain and simple, sending a ballot to every registered voter is the law. The president's tweet is just another tactic in the GOP’s handbook of voter suppression.”

In April, the Democratic National Committee, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Nevada State Democratic Party, and Priorities USA filed suit in the Eighth Judicial District Court of Clark County seeking to expand voting access for Nevada’s primary on June 9. Earlier this month, Democrats withdrew our preliminary injunction motion after the Clark County Registrar announced changes to the primary election that would expand voting access.
Republican National Committee
June 1, 2020

RNC Sues Clark County for Hiding Evidence of Shady Backroom Election Deal

WASHINGTON – The Republican National Committee, in partnership with the Nevada Republican Party, filed a lawsuit against Clark County for hiding public records pertaining to the shady backroom deal the Democrat-dominated county commission struck with the Democratic National Committee and other liberal groups to make changes to Nevada’s June 9 primary election that Democrats were demanding.
 
On May 7, the RNC requested records from Clark County on how the commission reached their decision to force the Clark County Registrar to waste over $300,000 of taxpayer money to mail ballots to all inactive voters—many of whom have moved or are deceased—add more polling locations, and hire ballot harvesters without input from the public. The county has refused to turn them over, violating the Nevada Public Records Act, giving the RNC no choice but to file a lawsuit in the interest of transparency. 

"Since the Democrat-dominated Clark County Commission is refusing to comply with state law and release public records, we have been left with no other choice but to ask the court to force the county to hand them over," said RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. "Nevadans deserve answers as to how its largest county came to the decision to strike this shady backroom deal and mail thousands of ballots, including to inactive voters, that have littered the streets of Las Vegas."

This lawsuit is the latest legal action in Nevada where Democrats have seized on the coronavirus pandemic in an attempt to push through their long-sought partisan election agenda. The Democratic National Committee and other liberal groups sued the Nevada Secretary of State in a brazen attempt to force her to willfully ignore and violate Nevada election law by suspending prosecution of ballot harvesters, sending ballots to all inactive voters, suspending verification procedures for absentee ballots such as signature matching, and demanding more in-person voting centers, despite the state’s all-mail order for the primary. 

Just days after the lawsuit was filed, the Clark County Registrar filed a joinder saying elected officials were compelling the office to cave to the Democrats’ demands. 
 
The decision to mail ballots to inactive voters has led to ballots littering Las Vegas’s streets, piling up in trash cans, and hanging from community boards in apartment complexes, leaving Nevada’s elections open and vulnerable to fraud. 
 
That is why, last month, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel sent a letter to Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford demanding an investigation into whether Clark County’s troubling decision may have violated Nevada’s open public meeting and election laws.
 
You can read the lawsuit here.

Background:

The RNC continues to fight back against the Democrats’ assault on the integrity of our elections by intervening in left-wing backed lawsuits across the country. Last week, Republicans sued California Gov. Gavin Newsom over his brazen and illegal power grab to make California a vote-by-mail state. Republicans also recently intervened in a lawsuit Democrats brought in Florida, where they demanded county supervisors of elections willfully ignore and violate Florida election law by prohibiting enforcement of the state’s ban on ballot harvesting, and allow ballots to be counted after Election Day. The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania recently handed us a big victory, throwing out a left-wing lawsuit to allow ballots to be counted after Election Day. Similar radical lawsuits are being fought in states like Michigan, New Mexico, and Arizona. The RNC recently doubled its legal budget to $20 million to fight these efforts, and you can learn at www.ProtectTheVote.com.