RNC files lawsuit against Clark County For Violating Public Record Laws

The Republican National Committee (RNC) filed a lawsuit against Clark County, Nevada, and its election department for allegedly violating public record laws after the county declined to provide information on poll workers. Nevada law requires a bipartisan team of poll workers at all polling locations across the state and Nevada law ensures elections are run openly and transparently by requiring election officials to provide records to the public about election processes.

The lawsuit, filed yesterday in the district court for Clark County alleges that the Clark County Election Department and Joe Gloria, county registrar of votes, violated a state law allowing the committee to obtain poll workers’ names and party affiliation.

Ronna McDaniel, Chairwoman of the RNC released this statement: “The RNC has consistently tried to work with Clark County to ensure that its election officials are following Nevada law by ensuring bipartisan representation among poll workers,” RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “The County has refused our good-faith compromises and is hiding records that the public is legally allowed to see. Sunlight is the best disinfectant: we are suing Clark County to secure the election transparency that Nevadans deserve ahead of midterms.”

As reported by the Washington Examiner:

“Despite the statutory requirements, Gloria declined to provide this information, expressing privacy concerns about releasing anything that would allow the RNC or the public to verify that Clark County’s poll workers will be representative of the political parties,” the lawsuit states.

The RNC claims it told the county the information would be made available to “attorneys’ eyes only” to keep the information out of the public spotlight.

However, the lawsuit states that on Aug. 17, the RNC began receiving documents from the county, referred to as “Respondents,” on a rolling basis unrelated to their request.

The county responded to the RNC’s inquiries on Aug. 31, stating the election department could not provide voter names and party affiliations due to “election security … asserted privacy interests and the risk of harassment.”

“This was Respondents’ first formal denial of the subject [Nevada Public Records Act] Request about poll worker information,” the lawsuit states.

The RNC asked for the information again on Sept. 2, but it still has not received a response, according to the lawsuit, which also asks for the court to demand the county provide an “award of reasonable costs and attorneys’ fees as provided by law, and any additional relief” deemed acceptable.

Dan Kulin wrote in a statement to the Washington Examiner on behalf of the county that it is in possession of the lawsuit and will respond through legal processes.

“Clark County takes seriously the privacy of our poll workers to protect these citizens from harassment, threats, and other forms of intimidation,” Kulin wrote. “The integrity of our election process is critical and so is ensuring that those who are working to uphold the rights of all citizens to exercise their right to vote are not threatened by others who wish to unravel our election process.”