The Washoe County Commission certified the 2024 general election in a contentious 3-1 vote, with Commissioner Mike Clark abstaining due to what he described as a conflict of interest. Clark was not present for the vote, leaving the meeting following a heated exchange over the county’s handling of election-related issues. Commissioners Alexis Hill, Mariluz Garcia, and Clara Andriola voted in favor of certification, while Commissioner Jeanne Herman voted against it, continuing her pattern of opposing election certification.
The certification process came with sharp disputes over the integrity of the election, particularly regarding nearly 29,000 registered voters who were not reclassified as inactive by the federally mandated 90-day deadline before the election. The failure resulted in ballots sent to those voters, a point of contention raised by Clark.
In questioning Election Specialist Addie Vetter, Clark sought clarification on why the county missed the deadline, but Hill interrupted, accusing him of making unfounded accusations against election staff. Clark responded forcefully, stating, “Quit interrupting me. I am not accusing anyone. If a question is raised, you always have to censor speech. That is not going to happen with me. I want to know why the County Manager had this information and this information wasn’t shared with me until today. Why wasn’t this done by the federal statutory deadline?”
Hill did not respond to Clark’s comment. He then left the meeting, later issuing a statement apologizing to Washoe County residents for what he described as the county’s failure to ensure fairness and transparency in the election process.
The issues raised by Clark included duplicate ballots sent to voters, chain-of-custody concerns for ballots, and irregularities in signature verification. He also criticized the county’s implementation of a new voting system, alleging a lack of preparation and inadequate staff training. Clark pointed to the absence of leadership during the election period, with the Interim Registrar of Voters placed on administrative leave and County Manager Eric Brown on medical leave.
Despite these concerns, Hill and the majority of the commission proceeded with certification, praising the hard work of election staff and volunteers. Hill also dismissed claims of systemic election flaws, stating that the process met legal and procedural standards.
Clark’s claims have again fueled calls for a full audit of the county’s election systems and processes. Meanwhile, Washoe County faces the prospect of an employment lawsuit tied to removing Interim Registrar of Voters Carri-Anne Burgess, adding to the mounting tension surrounding election management.
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