Secretary of state seeks to extend deadline to register to vote by mail

CARSON CITY — Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske on Friday asked Nevada’s 17 county clerks to extend the deadline to register to vote by mail to Tuesday.

The request would resolve a conflict between state and federal law.

Under state law, mail-in voter registrations must be post-marked by the fifth Saturday preceding the general election, which is Oct. 8. The National Voter Registration Act, which applies to federal elections, requires the period for registering by mail to remain open at least through the 30th day before Election Day.

Since the U.S. Postal Service is closed for business on Sunday or federal holidays, such as Columbus Day on Monday, the deadline to register to vote by mail-in application must be extended to the next business day, which is Tuesday.

“As the chief elections officer, I want to ensure that all Nevadans are afforded the opportunity to register to vote in accordance with state and federal law,” Cegavske said. “The secretary of state’s office will be submitting a bill draft request in the 2017 legislative session to resolve any confusion.”

U.S. Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., had asked Nevada and nine other states to extend the deadline to comply with the federal law. They expressed concern that not doing so would disenfranchise thousands of potential voters.

Nevadans still have until Oct. 18 to register to vote in person or online. The general election is Nov. 8.