In a high-stakes transition to a new centralized voter registration system in Nevada, local and state officials are defending the system’s reliability as the 2024 presidential election approaches, while a county election official claims her warnings about data issues have led to her administrative leave.
Cari-Ann Burgess, the former interim Washoe County registrar, contends she is getting punished for her transparency with reporters about potential data transfer flaws, particularly regarding preserving accurate voter information. She also signaled her intent to file a whistleblower complaint, requesting federal oversight to prevent future election issues.
The controversy centers on Nevada’s new Voter Registration and Election Management Solution, implemented in 16 of the state’s 17 counties. The state legislature mandated the system update to modernize voter registration and streamline management for county clerks.
Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar emphasized the urgency of the new system, highlighting its role in enhancing security and efficiency in the voting process, yet the hurried implementation has faced pushback.
Burgess, placed on leave in October due to alleged insubordination and job performance issues, said she believes the system’s rushed deployment has left unresolved data issues that could impact voter assignments and status accuracy. According to Burgess, Washoe County, which includes Reno and is the largest county using the new system, lacks the staffing to verify the accurate transfer of all 384,000 voter records.
Nevada’s state officials, including Aguilar, argue that initial glitches—such as misassigned precincts and mislabeled inactive voters—have been resolved. Gabriel Di Chiara, chief deputy secretary of state, claims that early voting starting on Saturday, October 19, has seen only isolated incidents.
State documents indicate that Nevada has invested $30 million in the system’s development, and county clerks conducted four mock elections this year to troubleshoot issues before rollout. However, critics like Burgess remain unconvinced.
“The lesser of the two risks was getting everyone on the new system and providing them support,” Di Chiara said, noting that Washoe County’s previous voter management vendor had ceased support, creating risks in retaining the old system.
The transition’s timing has drawn scrutiny, as Nevada’s swing-state status means any voter database errors could raise election integrity concerns. Election experts stated that Nevada had invested considerable time and resources into the rollout, yet advised that successful implementation relies heavily on adequate local office staffing and funding.
Burgess describes her role as a transparent advocate for voters, claiming she rigorously investigated complaints from voters across the political spectrum. Her actions also garnered attention from the Republican National Committee, which has requested documentation on the state’s mock elections, citing concerns over transparency and functionality.
According to a letter from Washoe County, her administrative leave stemmed from alleged insubordination, failure to meet a federal deadline for updating inactive voter rolls, and reportedly excessive overtime use. In her defense, Burgess says she only intended to correct errors and offered to return to her former role as deputy registrar when faced with challenges. Additionally, she asserts her support for churches seeking to facilitate ballot drop-offs complies with Nevada’s rules on third-party ballot collection.
As the general election approaches, Washoe County spokespersons assert that all outstanding data transfer issues are resolved, while Burgess contends that many problems remain underreported.
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