The Washoe County Board of Commissioners has voted to renew its contract with Dominion Voting Systems (DVS) for the 2024 election. Dominion is one of two voting system vendors certified for use in Nevada.
County officials explained that the DVS touchscreen voting and direct record entry capabilities closely align with the needs of Washoe County. First signed in 2017, the contract now extends through Wednesday, December 31, 2025, at an annual cost of $389,785.
The contract renewal comes after an audit of the Washoe County 2022 election process.
The Elections Group, under a $100,000 contract, conducted an audit, highlighting numerous operational issues and describing parts of the election process as “error-prone” and “confusing.” With the 2024 presidential election looming, the audit offered several detailed recommendations for improving the voter system.
The Elections Group, headed by Jennifer Morrell, focuses on left-leaning election policy, according to Influence Watch.
One of the findings of the 85-page report was the need for better handling of mail-in ballots. Since 2010, the number of registered voters in Washoe County has increased by more than 50 percent without a corresponding increase in election staff.
Legislative changes, automatic voter registrations from the Department of Motor Vehicles, and a requirement to mail ballots to all registered voters added to the burden on election workers, and staffing challenges resulted in delays and confusion in the 2022 election.
Bethany Drysdale, a spokesperson for the county, noted that County Manager Eric Brown initiated the audit as part of an effort to overhaul and upgrade the election system.
“He needed to know where the problems are, where the pain points are,” she said, explaining Brown’s desire for a third-party assessment to identify areas for improvement.
The audit highlighted significant staff turnover in the registrar of voters’ office, outdated technical systems, inefficient processes, and poor communication with the public. Proofreading errors in the 2022 general election ballots, which forced a reprint at a cost of over $178,000, were one of the issues identified. The report also pointed to delays in mailing ballots due to mismatched voter data files and suggested using “intelligent mail barcodes” offered by the U.S. Postal Service to improve tracking and voter roll maintenance.
Voter registration was another area of concern. On average, the county processes 200 to 300 voter record updates or new registrations daily but has only one staff member handling this task.
Additionally, the voter registration database is outdated and unsupported by its vendor. The audit recommended a comprehensive overhaul of the voter registration process, including updated workflows, cross-training, and better quality control measures.
A recurring theme in the audit was the need for better communication with the public and election observers. While county officials believe they are doing enough to inform voters, the audit found that external stakeholders felt that mistakes were not adequately addressed or explained.
The report suggested hiring a full-time public information officer dedicated to the ROV, improving transparency and communication with election observers. Few, if any, of the recommendations have become protocol.
DVS continues to avoid fully addressing questions regarding the 2020 Presidential Election. Just know that the political party that controls the ballot box this election may never lose again.
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