By james art An article from the Reno Gazette Journal reveals that a photo ID is required to access voting by mail at the Cares Campus in Reno:
Question: What happens to the newsletters that are delivered to Cares Campus?
short answer: All bulletins delivered to the Cares Campus are kept behind a locked mailroom door in the Resource Center, sorted alphabetically in designated mailboxes, and require photo IDs for access. According to the county, there is no unattended mail.
It should be noted that during his State of the State address, Governor Joe Lombardo promised to implement voter ID either through legislation or “at the ballot box.” During the Democratic response to Governor Lombardo’s address, Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager (D-Las Vegas) announced that any legislation related to election integrity would be “dead on arrival.”
When The Globe asked Democratic leadership about Lombardo’s voter ID proposal, Attorney General Aaron Ford said voter ID is “unconstitutional. Subsequently, the Democratic majority in the Legislature refused to hear a bill introduced by Governor Lombardo in 2023 that required ID to vote, despite the fact that 36 other states have voter ID laws.
The article also reveals that Cares Campus can be used to register to vote if the person is unhoused or has no permanent address; or the nonresident may use a street corner or general location as his address. Not only is it unclear how a vote-by-mail ballot is delivered to a street corner or common place, but Nevada law requires people to register to vote where they live. Since outdoor camping within city limits is already prohibited by city and county ordinances, Drydale’s statement raises additional concerns about designating a street corner or general location for voter registration and mail-in ballot delivery.
Washoe County spokeswoman Bethany Drysdale told RGJ:
Anyone in Washoe County who does not have a permanent mailing address can use the Cares Campus.
Residents can use Cares Campus as their residential address for voter registration. Those without a permanent address can also use a general location description such as their residence address – such as a street corner – for their voter registration. Just because a person doesn’t have a permanent address doesn’t mean they don’t have the right to vote.
When someone comes to pick up their mail, they have to show their identity card, which is the clarity card. This is the card that homeless people use to get services. The Clarity Card scans and has a photo ID so staff can make sure the person picking up the mail is the right person
Newsletters cannot be sent from Cares Campus. Cares Campus registrants should drop off their ballots at the voting center, mailbox, or post office.
Even before the 2020 election, PILF notified Nevada election officials of commercial addresses and vacant lots on the voter rolls. During their investigation, they found voters registered at casinos, vacant lots, gas stations, strip clubs and fast food restaurants. Last June, the Public Interest Legal Foundation sued both Washoe County and Clark County to remove commercial addresses and vacant lots from their voter rolls. Clark County complied, but due to turnover in the Washoe County Recorders office, no known action was taken, and now the Elias Law Group has stepped in.
The legal group, led by Mark Elias, argued “that their members and constituents will be forced to “spend significant resources to educate voters and protect them from baseless attacks on their electability.”
“If the Court grants such relief, Defendant Burgess — and other clerks and registrars throughout the state — will be inundated with requests from third parties to investigate any alleged irregularities in the voter rolls based on unsourced, unverified and unsworn information.” “
Editor’s Note: Former Washoe County Interim Recorder Carrie-Ann Burgess was removed from her position due to “work-related stress.” The Globe reached out to Bethany Drysdale for clarification on the county’s interpretation of Nevada election law. We will provide an update to this article with Drysdale’s response. The Globe also reached out to PILF for an update on the lawsuit against Washoe County.
