Nevada county votes against recount certification

by Lauren Irwin - 07/10/24 2:32 PM ET

Pedestrians and traffic on Virginia Street on Thursday, March 27, 2014, in downtown Reno, Nev., where local tourism officials say visitors spent more money and stayed longer last year than they did two years ago. The Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority said a new survey shows gamblers still drive the Reno-Tahoe market but outdoor recreation and sightseeing in the Sierra are bringing more families and others to the region. (AP Photo/Scott Sonner)

County commissioners in Nevada voted against certifying the results of two local recounts from a primary last month, a move that could have implications for the swing state’s presidential race later this year.

Three Republican members on the five-member Washoe County Board of Commissioners voted to reject the results of recounts in a commission race and a school board seat. It’s not known what will happen next, The Associated Press (AP) reported.

The AP noted that the rejection raises concerns that the same thing could happen in November.

The vote was first reported by KRNV-TV. The commission held an hours-long public comment before the vote, where many people asked the board to vote no on the certification and demanded a hand recount of the votes.

The outlet noted that under state law, ballots must be recounted the same way the election was conducted, which was by a machine.

Since 2020, there has been a rise in issues around certifying election results for races of all size across the country.

The county, the second most populated in the state, is home to Reno.

Nevada is seen as a battleground state for both national and local elections, narrowly electing the Democratic candidate in both the 2016 and 2020 elections.

Election conspiracies in the county have caused the local election office to have high turnover in recent years, the AP reported.

One of the Republicans on the board, Clara Andriola, joined the other two Republicans, who have consistently voted against certifying results in the state. One of the races in question was Andriola’s primary, which she won.

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Andriola told the AP that she wants an investigation of some kind into the recount but is not sure who would do it.

The board previously voted to certify the other races in the county’s June primary. KOLO TV noted that the matter will now head to the Nevada secretary of state.

The Associated Press contributed.

Tags election certification election integrity election security Nevada reno Washoe County