By james art If you drop off your mail-in ballot at the Clark County Elections Department in North Las Vegas, you’ll notice a chain-link fence surrounding the building. It was gone in 2020.
Clark County Registrar of Voters Lorena Portillo says it’s part of new security measures to better protect election officials and election facilities in response to an increase in threats across the state.
“[With] security, we are aware of what we saw in 2020, therefore we are preparing accordingly. We had protests here in the department. They didn’t distract or interrupt our process,” says Portillo Weekly.
Her predecessor, Joe Gloria, resigned at the end of 2022. and at the time described to the Associated Press the harassment and threats he and his team faced in the 2020 election. Protesters with “Stop Theft” signs and Trump flags stood 30 feet from his office door, some carrying weapons, as he and staff counted ballots. He also received messages such as: “We know where you live” and “We know where your family sleeps.”
The anger and threats stemmed from lies that the 2020 election were stolen. These lies – which will continue to fuel an armed uprising at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. – continue today as Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance continue to falsely claim that Joe Biden did not win the 2020 election. and that the only way they can lose in 2024 is if the Democrats “cheat again.”
The claims have been proven wrong repeatedly in courts across the country. But despite what the courts say, disinformation has already spread, prompting extremists to target election officials and infrastructure. Police and their state and federal partners are investigating incendiary devices that set ballot boxes on fire in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, destroying hundreds of ballots.
Another ripple effect of Trump and his allies’ lies has been the massive turnover of election officials across the state. Clerks in 11 of Nevada’s 17 counties are new as of 2020, according to the Nevada Secretary of State. By the time Gloria left office, more than half of the election division in the secretary of state’s office had surrendered after the 2020 election.
But there is promising new blood in Nevada election administrators. Portillo, who has worked in the Elections Department since 1998. and assumed the clerk’s role in March 2023, says the county has conducted extensive training for election workers and that they and law enforcement are prepared for any scenario that may arise.
Portillo says he can’t share security protocols for the 2024 general election. “But I can assure you that this election is just as important as any other election. We’ve definitely increased our presence, not just here at headquarters, but we’ve had a lot of conversations,” she says.
In addition to the Clark County Elections Department’s Public Safety Office fielding all reports of incoming threats, local officials are working with local, state and federal law enforcement to ensure the safety of election officials and voters, she added. .
After consulting with election officials and state leaders, Nevada Republican Governor Joe Lombardo announced that 60 members of the state’s National Guard will be activated to support state and local resources and law enforcement on Election Day.
“We do not anticipate that these personnel will need to be deployed,” Lombardo said in a statement. “As a first responder, I know firsthand how important it is to be prepared, and this decision reflects my commitment to safety and preparedness on Election Day.”
Agencies will need to be especially vigilant this year, according to a bulletin issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security in early October. The bulletin warned that local extremists “with election-related grievances” may try to target political candidates, elected officials and public places during the election until the inauguration in January.
Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar said Weekly the newsletter was “something we’ve already discussed.”
“But we have a relationship through our partners in the Election Integrity Task Force so we can deal with these situations,” Aguilar says.
The Nevada Election Integrity Task Force is comprised of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. “This collaboration exists through constant communication. So, if a situation arises on this very issue, the task force will be engaged,” adds Aguilar.
Since he took office in 2023, Aguilar’s cabinet has stepped up to fill the gaping holes left by the 2020 election cycle. It has hired and trained new election staff, including a whistleblower investigation team; implemented a top-down voter registration system for greater efficiency; and introduced a new text message campaign to convey accurate information and combat any misinformation that may be spreading. The office is also working with the Nevada Legislature to pass a law in 2023 that would make harassment, intimidation or use of force against election workers a felony, punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 and up to four years in prison.
Aside from the 2023 incident when a letter containing a suspicious white powder was sent to his office, Aguilar says he has not experienced harassment or threats this election cycle. According to him, this could be due to the new law. No arrests have been made under this law, he added.
While they may not be dealing with overt threats and harassment, Aguilar’s office is filing reams of lawsuits based on baseless claims about the 2024 election. Aguilar says his office is involved in 23 active lawsuits right now.
One of them, filed in September by the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee and the Nevada Republican Party, claims that noncitizens have the right to register to vote and are included on voter rolls. In a statement, Nevada Republican Party Chairman Michael McDonald, who has in the past told crowds at the rally to “honor Donald Trump,” said the filing was to “preserve the integrity of our election.”
But Aguilar said the claims are false and “only cast doubt on our elections” as they wind their way through the courts.
Voting and civil rights groups also stepped up to ensure that elections were administered fairly. The ACLU of Nevada runs a statewide Voter Protection Alliance made up of volunteers who monitor elections and communicate with county staff and the secretary of state if problems arise.
“Our program is the largest yet because the threats to democracy are so unparalleled compared to previous years. We’ll have several hundred volunteers across the state, and I think we’ll have four or five dozen attorneys across the state participating in our program as well. For the first time, we will cover all 17 counties on Election Day. So every county will have at least one observer there,” says ACLU of Nevada Executive Director Athar Hasebullah.
The ACLU’s volunteer election monitors serve a dual purpose: ensure that people can vote without interference, and also serve as monitors for threats of election subversion.
The authentication of election results has been politicized since 2020. ever since, as demonstrated when three of Washoe County’s five commissioners, imbued with a common belief in election conspiracy theories, initially voted against certifying the results of the primary recount in the 2024 primary. At the federal level, Vance said he would not certify the 2020 election. for Biden if he was Vice President at the time instead of Mike Pence. Such actions could set a precedent for 2024. and for 2029 if Vance is the incumbent vice president.
“What’s probably going to be is there’s going to be at least a few of these counties that just say they’re not going to certify the results if they don’t like the results the way they’re coming out,” Haseebullah says. “We plan to quickly file a lawsuit if this happens.”
According to Aguilar and Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, Nevada law makes canvassing election results, including recounts, by a certain date a mandatory legal obligation.
Voter Protection Alliance monitors will also be on the lookout for any possible intimidation at polling stations, Khasebula added. While Clark County says they are not aware of any 2020 voter intimidation. back then, that’s not unheard of. In Maricopa County, a district court judge issued a temporary restraining order against the League of Women Voters of Arizona after the group encouraged people to watch the polls during the 2022 midterm elections. Local and federal law enforcement received reports of people, some armed, watching the polls, with some voters claiming to be taking photos and videos and following voters, according to the Associated Press.
Clark County officials say anyone can call 702-455-2944 to report and get help with any harassment that may occur.
“Clark County works closely with local, state and federal authorities throughout the year for election safety. It remains a top priority as [Election] The department has worked to improve safety measures over the past four years due to our close partnership with law enforcement,” the county said in a statement.
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