This article contains two sections:
Nevada 2020 General Election Guide
By Teresa Bell and Janet Carter, Sierra Club Political Committee members
The Nevada 2020 general election, which will be held on Tuesday, November 3, will be a "hybrid" election. All active registered voters will be sent a blank ballot in the mail, but voters can choose to vote in person instead of casting a mail ballot if they want to. The decision of how to vote will be up to each individual voter. If you decide to vote in person, remember to bring your mail-in ballot with you. It will serve as a sample ballot and having it will speed up the check-in process and make voting quicker for everyone.
When to Expect Your Ballot in the Mail
Ballots will be mailed out in late September or early October. The specific date will vary by county. The larger counties will mail ballots over several days. Watch your mailbox! If you do not receive your ballot by the end of the second week in October, you should contact your county elections department to receive a replacement. The Nevada Secretary of State website has contact information on all Nevada county elections department.
Ballots will be mailed to the voter registration mailing address on file with your county election office and cannot be forwarded by the Post Office. It is extremely important that your voter registration mailing address be current. All voters, especially voters who have recently moved or have not voted in a while, are highly encouraged to check their voter registration status well in advance of Election Day.
Confirm that you are registered (and at the correct address) by clicking here (this takes you to a Nevada Secretary of State web page). If you are not registered, you will not receive a ballot in the mail.
Important Dates for Voter Registration or Changes to Registration
- November 3, 2020 General Election Registration Deadlines
- Mail In/DMV or other outside agency: Postmarked by October 6, 2020
- In-Person Registration: By October 6, 2020
- Online Registration: By October 29, 2020
Between October 16 and October 29, if you register to vote online or update your existing registration online, you may only vote a provisional ballot by appearing in-person at any early voting site or Election Day vote center.
Same-day registration is available during Early Voting and on Election Day. You may only vote a provisional ballot.
Two Secure Methods to Drop Off Mail-in Ballots
- Mailed Through the U.S. Post Office: To send it by postal mail, voters must: Seal their voted mail ballot in the pre-addressed, postage-paid, return envelope included in the packet they will receive. Sign the outside of the envelope in the space provided for their signature. Make sure their signed envelope is postmarked by November 3, 2020. Be sure to check the USPS pick-up time on the collection box. Ballots dropped in a USPS collection box after the posted collection time will not be picked up and postmarked until the next day. As long as your ballot is postmarked by November 3rd and received within a week of that date, it WILL be counted.
- Dropped-Off In-Person at Staffed Locations: Voters may also drop off their voted mail ballot at any of the locations listed on their voter packet. To do this, voters must seal their voted mail ballot in the return envelope included in the packet they will receive. Sign the outside of the envelope in the space provided for their signature. Drop off their voted mail ballot no later than 7:00 p.m. on Election Day. Elections personnel will be present to ensure they are safe and tamper-proof. Using these drop boxes is also safe in the pandemic, as they will usually be outdoors and there should not be a line to use them.
- Regardless of how a mail ballot is returned, it must be returned in the provided ballot return envelope. Ballots returned in any other envelope will not be counted. If needed, a replacement ballot return envelope can be obtained from your county election office.
- Only one ballot should be returned per ballot return envelope. If a ballot return envelope contains more than one ballot, none of the ballots will be counted.
- Lastly, all ballot return envelopes must be signed by the voter. This signature is used to confirm the voter's identity, so if your ballot return envelope is not signed your ballot will not be counted.
Two Options for Voting in Person
Even though all active registered voters will receive a blank ballot in the mail for the 2020 general election, voters can choose to vote in person at a polling place instead of voting by mail. Voters who choose to vote in person will have two options:
- Early Voting - Early voting begins on Saturday, October 17 and runs through Friday, October 30. Days and hours of operation vary by county. In order to avoid lines on Election Day, all voters who wish to vote in person are encouraged to vote early.
- Election Day - Polling locations open at 7:00 am on Election Day and remain open until 7:00 pm. As long as you are in line by 7:00 pm, you will be allowed to vote.
All voters may vote at any of the Early Vote or Election Day Polling locations.
If you choose to vote in person on election day, remember that there will be fewer sites than usual and a possible shortage of poll workers due to the pandemic, resulting in long lines. It might be good to come prepared with water and a snack, just in case. We encourage folks to vote early whenever possible. If you are not at high risk, you might also consider volunteering to work as a poll worker yourself! Not only will you be helping our democracy, but you will be paid! Read more below.
All polling places will be set up to allow for social distancing, and plastic barriers will exist between election workers and voters. Frequently touched hard surfaces, including the voting machines, will be sanitized on a regular basis, and hand sanitizer will be available to all voters. Pursuant to the Governor's emergency directive, all voters are highly encouraged to wear a mask to the polling place. If you refuse to wear a mask, you may be provided with an alternative voting method.
Sources: Nevada Secretary of State Election webpage
Urgent: Poll workers needed.
America is facing a record shortage of poll workers this year due to the coronavirus. Our democracy depends on ordinary people who make sure elections run smoothly and everyone's vote is counted. You can make sure we have a safe, fair, efficient election for all. Contact your county's local elections department for more information. Here are several of the biggest county's links:
- Washoe County poll worker application
- Clark County poll worker information
- Carson City poll worker application
- Elko County poll worker information
If you experience problems with the voting process...
call the Voter Protection Hotline at 1-888-525-VOTE (1-888-525-8683).
How you can make a difference in the 2020 elections
By Brian Beffort, Toiyabe Chapter Director
Your help is needed to elect environmental champions at every level in Nevada and across the country.
Join Sierra Club's National Battleground Program to help Joe Biden win in key states Trump won narrowly in 2016. Because COVID has shut down all in-person campaign efforts, everything is digital, which means you can influence the outcome of the elections from the comfort of your home with our text, letter-writing and phone-calling efforts.
September 15-20, join Sierra Club's Week of Action to make calls and write letters to swing voters in the key states mentioned above. Read more and sign up here.
Texting more your style? Join our texting team to influence voters across the country and in target districts in Nevada.
Learn who your local endorsed candidates are here in Nevada.
Sign up here to volunteer to elect our local endorsed champions.
Donate to support environmental champions in Nevada.
Paid for by Sierra Club Independent Action and the Sierra Club Nevada PAC; not endorsed by any candidate or candidate-election committee.