Lombardo Calls for Election Reform in Nevada, Slams Delayed Results As a 'National Embarrassment'

Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo (R) is pushing for significant reforms to the Silver State's election system after the results of the 2024 General Election were certified last week. The Nevada Supreme Court and the Secretary of State officially certified the election on Tuesday, but Lombardo’s call for action comes amid multiple issues that plagued Nevada counties during the election process.

In an interview with KTLV, Lombardo said of the delayed results:

One is, it's a national embarrassment. And plus, it creates an environment of perceived fraud, right, especially if there's certain races that flip.

Lombardo further clarified that while he does not believe there has been widespread voter fraud in Nevada, he pointed out that the late arrival of ballots had an impact on the outcome of closely watched races, including the Senate contest between Democratic incumbent Jacky Rosen and GOP challenger Captain (ret.) Sam Brown.

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Following the certification, Lombardo said in a statement:

I’m grateful for the work of the Nevada Secretary of State and Supreme Court. However, it’s clear that Nevada’s election system needs serious reforms moving forward.

One of the most prominent issues this year occurred in Pahrump, where voters experienced extensive delays on Election Day. Some residents had to wait more than three hours to use voting machines, while others were forced to vote using paper ballots. The situation added to growing frustration over the state’s election procedures.

Additionally, just before Clark County was set to certify its results, over a thousand mail-in ballots were discovered and had not yet been tabulated. While these uncounted ballots did not change the overall outcome of the election, the discovery raised concerns about the efficiency and transparency of the process.

Lombardo said:

The time it takes to count ballots and finalize our elections in Nevada is simply unacceptable. Nevadans deserve timely election results, and the current system fails to deliver on that promise.

Lombardo, who campaigned on a platform of election integrity during his 2022 campaign, has proposed reforms, including requiring voters to opt-in for a mail-in ballot as opposed to the COVID-era universal mail ballots. He also supports setting an earlier deadline for receiving mail ballots to ensure all votes are counted by Election Day. Notably, a voter ID measure — a policy that Lombardo has previously supported — was overwhelmingly approved by Nevadans in a ballot question last month, boasting 73 percent of the vote.

Still, the additional reforms must be made through the bi-annual legislative session, slated to begin in February. Lombardo promises that the Republican caucus will introduce the election reforms while the Democrat-controlled legislature has sunk the governor's previous proposals, including a 2023 bill that would have required mail ballots to be received by the last day of early voting so they could be counted and the results released on Election Day. Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager called it a "nonstarter."

As I previously reported:

In April, Gov. Lombardo introduced election reform legislation, SB 405, which aims to implement several changes. It would reverse universal mail ballot legislation AB 321, passed in 2021, by allowing voters to opt-in to request a mail ballot, instead of automating going to every voter listed as active in the state. The bill also sets requirements to show a photo ID to vote, and use identification verification on mail ballots to match social security or driver’s license numbers. Mail ballots would be counted if they are received by the end of business on Election Day. The bill also would put a 30-ballot limit on unauthorized ballot harvesting (made legal in Nevada in 2021), and require harvesters to submit affidavits and reports to the Secretary of State’s office.
While Lombardo is focused on getting s*** done before the end of the legislative session on June 5, Nevada Democrats have resisted, calling for ‘No compromise.’ On Wednesday, Nevada’s top Democrat brass held a press event outside the statehouse, decrying the proposals of the Governor and laying out their own priorities. Speaker of the Assembly Steve Yeager (D) said there will be “no room to compromise” on mail balloting and voter ID, criminal justice, healthcare, and education issues.
Yeager said of the election legislation,
It’s simply a solution in search of a problem.

However, the growing nonpartisan consensus around the need for timely results signals that, contrary to Yeager’s assertion, the long delays for results are indeed a significant problem. Lombardo’s continued push for reform will be a central topic as the state prepares for the next legislative session in 2025.

GOP Nevada Gov. Lombardo Tries to ‘Get S*** Done’ With Election Reforms Over Democrat Resistance