Primary Chaos: ‘Glitch’ in Software Shows Voters Cast Ballot In Presidential Primary

Yesterday, The Globe received calls from concerned citizens who said that the Nevada Secretary of State’s office incorrectly reported that they had voted in the Presidential Preference primary held on February 6th, even though they did not cast a mail-in ballot and opted to vote only in the Nevada GOP “First in the West” caucus on February 8th.

Today, the Secretary of State’s office released a statement citing technical issues for the error:

On Sunday, February 18, the Secretary of State’s Office became aware of possible technical issues related to the vote history of individuals who did not participate in the Presidential Preference Primary.

Elections and IT staff began working on the issue immediately, and met with County Clerks and Registrars this morning. We are working to resolve the issue as soon as possible, and will provide further updates as we can.

It is important to note that vote history is generated separately from election results. Results on SilverStateElection.NV.gov and county canvasses of the votes are unaffected and accurate.

Last Friday, Washoe County Commissioners voted 3-1 to approved the vote totals. Alexis Hill, Mariluz Garcia and Clara Andriola voted in favor with Mike Clark opposed and Jeanne Herman absent.

Prior to the passage of AB126 in 2021, Nevada’s major political parties held caucuses for choosing and binding delegates to the national convention and nominating presidential candidates. After 105,000 Democrats voted in the 2020 caucuses, Bernie Sanders dominated the Democratic field, despite predictions of chaos, and his delegates overthrew the Harry Reid political power structure. After this shift in political power, legislation to prevent such political upheaval and caucus-related “chaos” was born.

At the time, Harry Reid told the Las Vegas Review Journal: “My No. 1 priority is getting rid of the caucuses. They don’t work. It was proven in Iowa. We did OK here, but the system is so unfair.”

Due to numerous reports, The Nevada Republican Party says it will be investigating alleged irregularities in mail-in ballot counting citing concerns about the security of the ballot counting procedures and the accuracy and transparency of the ballot counting process.

The state GOP says it is actively in communication with the Secretary of State’s Office to conduct an investigation into the alleged irregularities.

“We take these reports very seriously,” stated Michael McDonald, Chairman of the Nevada Republican Party. “The cornerstone of our Republic is the trust and confidence of the American people in the electoral process. Any indication of irregularities must be thoroughly investigated to ensure the integrity of our elections.”