PAHRUMP, Nev. (KTNV) — The Nevada Supreme Court ruled on Friday that votes in Nye County will be counted by hand for this upcoming election.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed an emergency petition with the Nevada Supreme Court in regard to the hand-counting process, voter verification method, and doing away with voting machines. The petition questioned if a lack of voting machines would violate the American Disabilities Act.
Nye County's response confirmed that voting machines will be available to those in need of ADA-accessible touch screens on the grounds.
The county is one of the first jurisdictions in the country to do away with voting machines, and only use paper ballots, since the last election. Officials confirm that voting will also be done by hand on Election Day.
Voters in Pahrump tell KTNV that they “don’t mind” the hand-counting method and that they prefer paper ballots.
“I trust the hand count more than I trust the machine,” said Kimberly Nerl, a Nye County voter.
Wade Hinden, another voter in Nye County, said, “Computers can be fixed, machines can be rigged.”
Many voters in Pahrump pointed to issues with past elections and claims of election fraud.
Gisela Thoma, another Nye County voter said, "I do not believe in machines. Remember what happened two years ago — the fraud and we all know that."
Friday’s ruling also prohibited the county from live streaming during the hand-count read-aloud prior to polls closing on Nov. 8. The county must also allow all three methods of voter identification.
Nye County officials released the following statement on Saturday:
“Having reviewed the recent favorable decision from the Nevada Supreme Court, we strongly agree that '[v]oters have a compelling interest in the way elections are run.' And, for that reason, Nye County will continue to ensure integrity is integral in the upcoming election and that the processes utilized by Nye County are in compliance with all election laws. Consistent with the Court’s directive and Nevada law, Nye County will be continuing with the lawful hand-counting process safeguarding election results, so they are not prematurely released. Further, Nye County is committed to making available to voters all statutorily established methods for proving voter identity when signature verification fails. Simply put, Nye County voters can confidently cast their votes this election cycle.”
Officials also said that the media and other members of the public will be allowed to watch – as observers – the counting of votes.
The Executive Director of ACLU of Nevada, Athar Haseebullah issued the following statement:
“Today’s victory was a significant pushback against election-denying conspiracy theorists who believed they were above the law. In the wake of Nye County’s jubilation after a Nye County judge denied our emergency petition without a hearing, we thought Nye County might have been better off trying to comply with the law than try to posture against the ACLU. We are grateful to the Nevada Supreme Court for issuing its order and upholding some semblance of normalcy as we work to protect voting rights against attempts at voter suppression. As promised, we will continue to monitor every action undertaken as the election unfolds and are prepared to mount additional challenges during this election, and in future elections, to stop anyone who would try to interfere with the freedom to vote.”
The Voting Rights Attorney for ACLU of Nevada, Sadmira Ramic, also issued a statement:
“Today’s decision by the Nevada Supreme Court supports our freedom to vote and makes it clear that every county must follow all of Nevada’s election laws. Nye County’s proposed processes were illegal, and it was important that we brought this challenge to protect voters and our democracy. As we move forward into early voting and onto Election Day, we will be rolling out the largest legal observation and poll monitoring program ACLU of Nevada has ever done, and we will be ready to jump into action to fight back voter suppression.”
Early voting in Nevada will start on Saturday, Oct. 22 and last through Nov. 4.
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