Yesterday, NV Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar presented a $45 million budget request for 2023-2025 which includes two major requests: $30 million for the implementation of a centralized statewide voter registration and elections management system and $15 million for “Project Orion” to overhaul Nevada’s business licensing portal, Silver Flume.

According to the SOS office, the $30 million allocation, if approved by legislators, will fund the speedy implementation of the Voter Registration and Elections Management Solution (VREMS) to create a centralized statewide voter registration database. This system, prescribed by Assembly Bill 422 which was passed in the 2021 legislature, will make our elections more consistent across all 17 counties and increase transparency in voter data.

$15 million for Project Orion will allow the Secretary of State’s Office to rapidly accelerate fixes to Nevada’s business licensing software suite and begin building a framework for the future.

“Updating the state’s technology is critical to ensuring our government is transparent and accessible – Nevadans deserve systems that work for them and doesn’t make their lives harder,” said Secretary Aguilar. “These technology upgrades to our election and business licensing systems have long been needed – and our office is ready to use this funding to make great improvements across the state. I’m thankful for the team in the Secretary of State’s Office for their endless dedication to making these systems work better for all Nevadans.”