Activists didn't research assertion of Douglas voters' rights violation

The American Civil Liberties Union didn't examine Douglas voting records numbers before sending a letter claiming the county might be in violation of voters' rights.

Attorney Lee Rowland said in a letter to Douglas County Clerk-Treasurer Ted Thran that the organization received complaints that voter turnout had substantially decreased in the Dresslerville precinct since the removal of a voting machine.

"We have had reports from the reservation that the percentage of registered voters voting in this year's primary, the first vote after Douglas County eliminated the reservation polling place, were dramatically lower than prior vote turnouts," Rowland wrote.

The turnout in August's primary election was generally dismal, both in Dresslerville and the rest of the county.

Of the 104 registered voters in the Dresslerville precinct, only 16 voted. Dresslerville is also the only precinct in Douglas County where Democrats outnumber Republicans by 70 to 12, with 21 nonpartisan voters. Half of the Republicans voted, but only 10 Democrats cast ballots and no nonpartisan voters.

That's one vote fewer than the 17 who voted in the 2004 primary. Only nine votes were cast in the 2006 primary.

Rowland said Monday that the committee hadn't looked at the actual turnout before sending the letter to Thran.

"One voter is not dramatic," she said. "If it is indeed true they have not suffered a negative impact, then moving the voting machine is perfectly lawful. We've given the county an opportunity to show that."

Rowland said that in an ideal world, the group would have investigated the impact.

"But this close to an election, we wrote to the county to let them know people think turnout is going down," she said.

Clerk-Treasurer Barbara Griffin met with residents of Dresslerville last spring when it appeared she would be short voting machines. In August, Griffin said that Nevada law permits converting precincts with fewer than 200 voters to mail-in ballots, similar to absentee ballots.

Several precincts' voting locations have been consolidated this election due to a shortage of the machines.

Thran said all registered voters in Dresslerville are mailed a ballot that may be returned in a postage paid envelope, dropped off at a ballot box set up in the Dresslerville Senior Center, or dropped off at the Minden Inn. In addition, Dresslerville precinct residents may vote at the Minden Inn both during early voting and on Election Day.

Douglas County's longstanding practice of stationing uniformed officers at polling places was also called into question by the ACLU.

"The presence of armed guards is generally legal," Rowland said. "This is more of a policy position."

Rowland said using plain clothes officers is considered best practices by the federal and state government for providing security at polling places.

"We're asking the county to reconsider their plan. That would bring them in line with the vast majority of other jurisdictions," she said.

Deputies have been stationed at polling places in Douglas County for decades. Thran said he is following the law which allows uniformed officers to act as security at the polls.

"I can remember going to the Valley Bar with my parents when they voted and there were deputies there," Thran said.

Rowland said the deputies might discourage people from voting.

"The decision to post uniformed, armed officers at the polls is at odds with other election officials' plans on Nov. 4," Rowland wrote, "including the secretary of state, who has taken pains to keep armed officers out of poll areas."

Rowland claimed the deputies might suppress voter turnout.

During the last presidential election, armed officers apparently didn't dissuade a record 92 percent of Douglas County's registered voters from casting a ballot, Thran said.

n Kurt Hildebrand can be reached at khildebrand@recordcourier.com or 782-5121, ext. 215.