I actually think of Tennessee county near Nashville already did this couple of months back but could be wrong.
I actually think of Tennessee county near Nashville already did this couple of months back but could be wrong.
ye County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to recommend the county clerk ditch electronic voting machines and move to all-paper, hand-counted elections for both the 2022 primary and general elections.
But facing some pushback from Nye County Clerk Sandra Merlino, those changes may not be enacted in full. Merlino said she is required by law to have one electronic voting machine at each polling location to ensure the county’s elections comply with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Merlino, who did not oppose the measure outright, also cautioned that her office does not have the resources to make such major administrative changes with just weeks left before the first mail ballots are sent out for the June primary election.
The vote came after testimony from several prominent 2020 election deniers and conspiracy theorists who alleged — citing debunked evidence — that electronic machines used in Nevada, including Nye County, are vulnerable to cyber attacks that could change the outcome of an election.
It is also the latest attempt by a rural Nevada county to greatly overhaul election administration in response to unproven conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.
“With the paper ballots, hand-counted at the precinct level, decentralized — we’re going against what the forces want,” Jim Marchant, a Republican candidate for secretary of state, told the board. “They want centralized [systems] so they can manipulate it. So if we go against that and get back to decentralized … that’s how we’re going to guarantee that we have a fair and transparent election.”
The final effects of the vote — which requested but did not order that Merlino make the changes — remain unclear. The position of Nye County clerk is elected and not appointed, meaning jurisdictional issues prevent the county commission from ordering the clerk’s office to take a specific course of action.
Though Merlino said she would look into making the changes for the 2022 general election, she pointed to serious logistical challenges that would likely prevent a sweeping shift to all-paper elections and hand-counting during the primary election.
“With this ballot, or paper shortage, my ballots are ordered… I do not know if I can get more,” Merlino said. “There’s no way right now for me to gauge how many people are going to show up in person, so I will probably have to order an additional 20,000 ballots to have at the polls, even though we’re sending out 31,000.”
ye County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to recommend the county clerk ditch electronic voting machines and move to all-paper, hand-counted elections for both the 2022 primary and general elections.
But facing some pushback from Nye County Clerk Sandra Merlino, those changes may not be enacted in full. Merlino said she is required by law to have one electronic voting machine at each polling location to ensure the county’s elections comply with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Merlino, who did not oppose the measure outright, also cautioned that her office does not have the resources to make such major administrative changes with just weeks left before the first mail ballots are sent out for the June primary election.
The vote came after testimony from several prominent 2020 election deniers and conspiracy theorists who alleged — citing debunked evidence — that electronic machines used in Nevada, including Nye County, are vulnerable to cyber attacks that could change the outcome of an election.
It is also the latest attempt by a rural Nevada county to greatly overhaul election administration in response to unproven conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.
“With the paper ballots, hand-counted at the precinct level, decentralized — we’re going against what the forces want,” Jim Marchant, a Republican candidate for secretary of state, told the board. “They want centralized [systems] so they can manipulate it. So if we go against that and get back to decentralized … that’s how we’re going to guarantee that we have a fair and transparent election.”
The final effects of the vote — which requested but did not order that Merlino make the changes — remain unclear. The position of Nye County clerk is elected and not appointed, meaning jurisdictional issues prevent the county commission from ordering the clerk’s office to take a specific course of action.
Though Merlino said she would look into making the changes for the 2022 general election, she pointed to serious logistical challenges that would likely prevent a sweeping shift to all-paper elections and hand-counting during the primary election.
“With this ballot, or paper shortage, my ballots are ordered… I do not know if I can get more,” Merlino said. “There’s no way right now for me to gauge how many people are going to show up in person, so I will probably have to order an additional 20,000 ballots to have at the polls, even though we’re sending out 31,000.”
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