By james art 
RENO, Nev. — More than two dozen local officials across the country have refused to certify federal elections in recent years, and most remain in office, according to the Washington-based watchdog group Citizens for Accountability and Ethics. That has raised fears that some of them might do it again, casting doubt on the outcome of the 2024 election and — potentially — chaos.
But many election experts say officials in swing states are ready to stop attempts to deny certification. They cite a recent example in northern Nevada as illustrative.
Washoe County is home to about half a million people and borders Lake Tahoe. The county seat of Reno calls itself “The Biggest Little City in the World” and is surrounded by snow-capped mountains this time of year. Back in July, Washoe County commissioners voted 3-2 against certifying the recount of the results of two primaries.
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No one here could recall local officials denying a certificate in Nevada before. Certification of elections is simply a clerical duty with no discretion over how to vote, according to the Nevada Secretary of State’s office. Any concerns about election results can be taken to court.
But several Washoe commissioners said they were concerned about the way the election was conducted.
“I’m not going to sign this,” Commissioner Mike Clark, a Republican, said during a public meeting. “I’m not going to say how great it was because I don’t believe it.”
Members of the public, many of them election deniers, also attended the meeting and alleged a conspiracy.
“Our election was hijacked by someone or something,” Robert said Beadleselection denier who has given more than $800,000 to GOP candidates in the past two years. “You cannot authenticate this recount.”
Indeed, for all the concerns about the accuracy of the Washoe primary, census established a difference of only two votes in the two contests.
Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, a Democrat, said he was shocked the commissioners refused to certify, but he was prepared. He told NPR that he filled out legal paperwork beforehand and then just filled in the specifics of the case.“I call it our ‘Mad Libs,'” Aguilar said.
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford sued the three commissioners who voted against certification. A week later, at a commissioners meeting, Clark and fellow commissioner Clara Andriola changed their votes to certify. “I have been told that failure to vote for certification in this election could subject me to criminal prosecution and removal from office,” Clark said during the meeting. “As such, my vote today takes place under extreme duress.”
During a recent interview at the Reno Elks Lodge, Clark told NPR that he’s not dismissive of the election, but he has genuine concerns about the way the county’s elections are run and the high turnover in the election office clerk, including the recent ouster of the woman who ran it. lead.
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Nevada’s new centralized voter registration system faces its first real test this election, and state officials acknowledged the past problemssuch as assigning some voters to the wrong sections and mislabeling others as inactive.
Clark may have chafed at the attorney general’s case, but Alexis Hill, the chairwoman of the Washoe County Board of Commissioners, welcomed it. Hill is a Democrat who voted for certification.
“This is probably the only time I’ll be thrilled that the county commission was sued by the AG’s office,” Hill said. “It was uncomfortable, but it was good. It had to happen because we have to uphold the rule of law and I feel that sometimes slips away.
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Nickel Suss, deputy general counsel for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, sees the Washoe case as an encouraging sign for the nation as voting in the 2024 election closes today. He said it shows attorneys general have the will and tools to secure certification.
“This is something that needs to be highlighted to voters because voter confidence should not be diminished,” Suss said. “These efforts [to not certify] they won’t work. They haven’t worked in the past and they won’t work this time.
Both Clark and Andriola said they will vote to certify this election in Washoe, meaning they should easily pass the commission. But that doesn’t mean that everything is expected to go smoothly here.
State Sen. Skip Daley, a Democrat who represents part of Washoe County, said he’s sure people will challenge the results in court.
“Is that going to lead to some lawsuits that I think will eventually get dismissed?” Daley said. “Absolutely!”
Hill, the Washoe County Board chairman, is also concerned that there could be political violence on Election Day.
“The governor has put the National Guard on standby to assist the local sheriff,” she said.
And then there’s a meeting to vote on the certification, Hill said. Given past public anger — and depending on who wins — things could get ugly.
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