By Suzanne Potter
A new online tool on the Nevada secretary of state’s website is available to help voters find their polling location before the June 9 primary election.
Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar is urging Nevadans to make a plan for when and where they will vote. He also said voters using mail ballots should account for changes at the U.S. Postal Service, which no longer does evening pickups at blue mailboxes or applies postmarks in the evening.
“If you do intend to use the mail ballot, mail it a week before,” Aguilar said. “But if you want to wait till Election Day, just drop it off at a polling location or a drop box, which is why the interactive map is important.”
Nevada currently counts ballots received up to four days after Election Day, as long as they were postmarked beforehand.
But the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule by mid-June in a case called Watson v. Republican National Committee. That decision could forbid states from counting any ballots received after Election Day, even if they are postmarked beforehand.
The ruling could affect the general election and is another reason for voters to send in mail ballots early.
Nevada also has sued to stop an executive order by President Donald Trump, that would create a national voter roll database, issue new USPS requirements for mail ballots, and limit the use of mail ballots. The order is paused while the challenge plays out.
Aguilar said mail ballots are especially popular in rural and Tribal communities.
“I think Nevadans as a majority have adopted mail ballots as their preferred choice to vote,” Aguilar said. “Some of our reddest counties, Nye County and Douglas County, have the highest adoption rates of mail ballots. Mail ballots serve to give people in rural communities, in Tribal communities, an opportunity to have a voice.”
Early voting runs from May 23 to June 5.
Related: Opinion: The biggest factor the polls aren’t showing: People.
