Voting in Nevada

Election Day is only weeks away, and the nation is buzzing with excitement about who the next President of the United States will be – among other important laws posed on this year’s ballot. If this is your first time voting in an election or first time voting in Nevada, you may not know how to cast your vote for candidates and statewide measures. Here’s everything you need to know about the Nevada voting process.

Meet Important Deadlines

If you aren’t a registered voter in the state of Nevada, make sure you meet the registration deadlines to do so. Mailed-in registrations must be postmarked by October 8, 2016. If you’re registering in person or online, you have until October 18, 2016. Online voter registration requires a Nevada driver’s license or ID card. Missing the deadline to register as a voter in Nevada can mean missing the election.

Many people prefer to get their votes in early – before Election Day. If you want to vote during the early voting period, you have from October 22, 2016, to November 4, 2016, to cast your ballot. You may vote by mail or in person. To vote by mail, fill out and print the Absentee Ballot Application with your name, address, and other information. Mail the form to your County Clerk’s office no later than 5:00 p.m. November 1st. You’ll receive your ballot by mail, which you can fill out and return in the provided envelope. You must return your mail-in ballot so your County Clerk’s office receives it by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day, November 8th.

If you’re waiting until Election Day to vote, know which polling place to visit in your county. When you register as a voter, you’ll receive this information on your voter ID card. You can also look up where to vote on the Nevada Secretary of State’s voter registration search tool. On Election Day, the polls are open 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. As long as you’re standing in line at your polling location by 7:00 p.m., you’re allowed to vote. Failure to arrive before the deadline bars you from voting in this election.

Prepare Documents Properly

With so many options for voting in Nevada, you have your pick as to how you want to cast your ballot in the 2016 presidential election. The right option depends on when you’d like to vote and if you’d rather do it by mail or in person. Every Nevada registered voter is eligible to vote via mail. The Absentee Ballot Application is a request form you must submit to vote from home. You’ll need your address, county of registration, and driver’s license or ID number.

If you registered to vote by mail and have never voted in Nevada’s polls before, you cannot vote by mail unless you have:

  1. Provided a valid form of identification or proof of residence in Nevada to the County Clerk’s office
  2. Provided the last four digits of your Social Security number or your driver’s license number when you registered to vote.
  3. You are overseas, in the military.
  4. A notary signs your Absentee Ballot Application.
  5. You request an absentee ballot in person at the County Clerk’s office.

You only need one of these exceptions to qualify for a mail-in ballot. Filling out your voter registration and Absentee Ballot Application properly ensures everything goes smoothly and you don’t miss a crucial deadline. The state strives to make the Nevada voting process as simple and convenient as possible for voters without compromising the integrity of election. Do your best to cooperate with the system and get your documents and applications into the County Clerk by the deadline.