In a high-stakes battle over the sanctity of Nevada’s 2024 General Election, registered voter Andy Thompson has filed a forceful response in federal court, pushing back against the Secretary of State’s attempts to dismiss his case. With a hearing set for this Thursday, August 14, Thompson’s lawsuit demands immediate action to halt updates to voting systems that could erase critical evidence of alleged irregularities. At its core, this isn’t about partisan wins; it’s about ensuring every vote is counted legitimately and that the rule of law prevails in safeguarding our democratic process.

The Case at a Glance

Thompson’s federal complaint, filed under 52 U.S.C. §20701 (requiring 22-month preservation of election records) and 42 U.S.C. §1983 (protecting against deprivation of voting rights), targets Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar. He accuses the SOS of greenlighting software updates to Dominion voting machines that risk destroying key data from the 2024 election. This action, Thompson argues, violates federal law by allowing the potential obliteration of records amid ongoing disputes over the election’s validity.

The lawsuit stems from Thompson’s earlier state court challenge (Case No. A-24-906377-C, now on appeal as No. 90846), where he presented evidence of widespread anomalies in vote tabulation. That state case was dismissed in June 2025, but Thompson insists the federal suit is independent, focusing solely on preservation, not relitigating state decisions. He invokes the Rooker-Feldman doctrine to clarify: since the state dismissal isn’t final, federal courts can step in to enforce preservation without overstepping.

Key Allegations of Election Irregularities

Thompson’s filings lay out damning claims backed by expert declarations and official records, painting a picture of an election process riddled with errors that demand scrutiny:

• Missing Ballots: Just three days post-election on November 8, 2024, state reports showed nearly 27,000 mailed ballots vanishing from totals in Washoe and Clark counties. Despite notifications, the SOS allegedly dismissed this as a mere “copy-paste error” in one county, ignoring the math that implicated both. Thompson calls this “inexcusable” from Nevada’s chief elections officer, arguing it’s enough under NRS 293.410 to raise reasonable doubt about the outcome.
• Unprecedented Undervotes: On November 11, 2024, over 41,500 additional mailed ballots were reported, but fewer than 1,500 included votes for Trump or Harris—a staggering 96% undervote rate, unheard of in a presidential race. Thompson’s analysis of the Cast Vote Record (CVR) reveals about 20,000 such undervotes in Clark County alone, a figure he says could flip a third of down-ballot races. The SOS’s responses? Confusing total undervotes with Trump/Harris specifics, leading to what Thompson describes as a “nonsensical apples-and-oranges” defense that implies illegal ballot alterations.
• Manipulated Records: Most alarmingly, experts examining Clark County’s CVR— the official tally used for certification—found synchronization in votes on Ballot Question 3 (ranked-choice voting) across 80% of mailed ballots, affecting roughly 369,754 votes. This “unnatural precision,” per declarations from analysts like Parikh and Gould, suggests manipulation that erased voter intent on a massive scale. Thompson equates this to a falsified witness statement, undermining the entire election under the principle of falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus.

These issues, Thompson asserts, remain unrebutted despite multiple engagements with the SOS, who shifted from pausing updates pre-dismissal to approving them post-dismissal via a July 10, 2025, email from deputy Gregory Ott.

What Thompson Seeks

Thompson isn’t asking for access to records; that’s for the Nevada Supreme Court to decide on appeal. Instead, he’s requesting a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) to pause all updates to voting systems statewide. Under NRS 293.124, the SOS has authority as chief elections officer to direct county clerks to preserve data, including duplicating code without revealing proprietary info. Experts warn that updates will irreversibly destroy CVRs and logs, causing irreparable harm to voting rights. Thompson offers to post a reasonable bond, scoffing at the SOS’s “intimidating” demand for over $26 million as overreach.

Why This Matters

Nothing erodes public trust faster than doubts about vote legitimacy. If Thompson’s evidence holds, it exposes flaws that could have swayed outcomes, from presidential tallies to local races. Federal law mandates preservation precisely to allow investigations, ensuring accountability. Dismissing this as “frivolous,” as the SOS argues, ignores unrebutted facts and sets a dangerous precedent: if officials can update systems and wipe data amid appeals, how can citizens ever verify elections? The rule of law demands courts intervene to protect records, especially with no urgent elections looming until May 2026. A mock election or minor recall pales against upholding electoral integrity.

As Thursday’s hearing approaches, all eyes are on whether the federal court will enforce preservation and force the SOS to hit pause. In Nevada, where every vote must count without question, this case tests if our institutions will prioritize truth over expediency. The Nevada Globe will continue tracking developments, because legitimate elections aren’t optional; they’re the foundation of our republic.

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