RNC alleges inconsistencies in Nevada’s voter rolls, threatens lawsuit

The Republican National Committee sent a letter Monday to Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, alleging inconsistencies in the state’s voter registration numbers. The organization is demanding the secretary of state address its concerns, or else it will proceed with a lawsuit.

The RNC alleges three Nevada counties — Douglas, Lyon and Storey — have more registered voters than adult citizens over 18, and that five other counties — Carson City, Churchill, Clark, Eureka and Washoe — have “suspiciously high rates” of registered voters.

In the letter, which was provided to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the RNC alleges Nevada is in violation of the National Voter Registration Act, which requires each state to maintain accurate and current lists of registered voters.

“The RNC is demanding that Nevada ensure only eligible voters can vote and will take legal action to ensure that outcome if necessary,” said RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel in a Monday statement to the Review-Journal.

The committee performed the analysis by comparing the secretary of state’s most up-to-date registered active voter numbers with data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 citizen voting age population data, the letter says.

RNC letter to Nevada Secretary of State by Jessica Hill on Scribd

Its analysis found Douglas, Lyon and Storey counties had greater than 100 percent voter registration, or more registered voters than eligible voters, and that Carson City, Churchill, Clark, Eureka and Washoe counties had rates of 90 percent or higher.

To compare, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Nevada’s statewide registrations rates were 65.1 percent in the 2022 election and 66.2 percent in the 2020 election.

“These voter registration rates are abnormally or, in the case of counties with greater than 100 percent registration, impossibly high,” the letter says. “This constitutes strong evidence that Nevada’s voter rolls are not being properly maintained.”

The Review-Journal compared the secretary of state’s most recent voter registration numbers with estimated 2023 populations for Douglas, Lyon and Storey counties based on projected growth from 2021, according to World Population Review. It found the voter registration rates were 98 percent for Douglas County, 99.4 percent for Lyon, and 89.8 percent for Storey.

On Monday the secretary of state’s office released its most up-to-date voter registration numbers that showed a decrease of more than 21,000 active registered voters, a change made as county election officials identify inactive voters and update their voter rolls, according to the secretary of state’s office.

The National Voter Registration Act prohibits routine list maintenance actions 90 days before an election, and the deadline for counties to do routine list maintenance ahead of the Feb. 6, 2024, presidential preference primary was Nov. 8, according to the secretary of state’s office.

There are exceptions to this, such as when voters request to have their registration canceled, or the Office of Vital Statistics sends the secretary of state’s office a notice that a voter has died, according to the secretary of state’s office.

The RNC asked in the letter for the secretary of state to respond within 45 days and to correct the alleged violations within 90 days, or else the committee — alongside the Nevada Republican Party and Scott Johnson, a registered Nevada voter — will proceed with legal action.

“We look forward to working with you in a productive fashion to ensure the accuracy and currency of Nevada’s voter rolls and to protect the integrity of its voting process,” the letter says.

The Nevada secretary of state’s office was unable to comment Monday.

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.