LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — As Nevada residents prepare to cast their ballots, Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar and Clark County Registrar Lorena Portillo walked me around election headquarters, showing me some of the upgrades since the last election.
I noticed there are a lot of workers who help make the election run smoothly.
Aguilar said there was a big effort, especially in Clark County, to get more people to work elections since some chose not to return after 2020.
“We've been talking to all 17 clerks across the state to make sure they had enough resources, and they are positive that they are ready to go," he said.
Aguilar said he's even had some high school students want to get involved.
"One, you're exposing somebody to the process they may not know exists. They may get motivated to become a future election worker or run for office," he said.
"Second is, they're from the community where they're going to be. You'll start to see family members show up and see Johnny at a polling location. All the tías and tíos are going to show up because Johnny is there.
"Third is language access. We've really spent a significant amount of time trying to ensure our communities feel comfortable voting."
He's even pushed for the Nevada State Bar to give an incentive to lawyers who join in the effort.
"We hope the Nevada Bar recognizes that lawyers want to engage in the democratic process, and the way to encourage them is to give them CLE (Continuing Legal Education) credits," Aguilar said. "Poll workers are unsung heroes of democracy.
"Working at a polling location or working an election center, that is our democracy. It is based on a sound American legal system, and the more lawyers we have experiencing it, the more we have trusted advocates out there talking about the elections process.
"I'm a strong proponent for it. The American Bar Association has endorsed this program. Other states have adopted this type of program and it's worked really well. I'm disappointed the Nevada Bar hasn't recognized the opportunity that exists for their members."
"Why don't you think they have?" I asked.
"I don't know," he told me. "I've never had the opportunity to have a conversation with them. I've reached out to them but never heard back. Maybe they have bigger priorities than our democracy."
I reached out to the Nevada State Bar to learn more.
I was told its board of continuing legal education did not grant CLE credit for poll watchers twice, once in 2020 and again in February of this year.
The executive director of the board told me it's not scheduled to be discussed again.
I followed up and asked why the credit was not approved.
"The board did not think CLE credit for poll watchers fell within the definition of what qualifies as CLE according to the Nevada Board of Continuing Education's Regulation 3," she said.
That would include a program or activity that furthers the education of attorneys and/or improving their efficiency in delivering legal services to the client.
I'll share that response with the secretary of state.
Channel 13 has created a voter guide to help you navigate this year's election. In the guide, you can find a polling site in your neighborhood, you can hear from locals about what issues matter to them and you can learn more about what the state is doing to keep voters safe.
