Big finish for early in-person voting as total turnout already close to topping record numbers

The last day of in-person early voting also saw the biggest single-day turnout.

According to the Douglas County Clerk-Treasurer’s Office, 1,142 residents cast a ballot on the Nevada Day holiday, bringing the total to 10,449. That tops the 1,138-voter turnout on Oct. 20 at the Douglas County Community & Senior Center in Gardnerville.

As of Friday evening, 16,940 residents had returned the ballots they’d received in the mail. Of those, 16,792 have ballots have been accepted for counting. The other 148 require a signature cure of some sort. 

In all, 27,389 ballots have been cast in the 2020 General Election so far, or 72 percent of the 37,770 registered active voters in Douglas County on Sept. 25.

The number of early voters so far approaches the total 27,934-vote turnout from the 2016 General Election, and exceeds the total turnout in any other election year in Douglas County history.

Of the 311 ballots that have been missing a signature or the signature didn’t match since the beginning of the election, 163 residents have fixed their signatures.

Residents may fix or drop off their mailed ballots at the Election Tent located behind the historic Douglas County Courthouse 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Douglas County Clerk-Treasurer’s Office mailed 38,772 ballots on Sept. 24 and received 1,100 back as undeliverable. Mailed ballots can’t be forwarded, so anyone who changed their address between registering and September wouldn’t receive one. As of today, 44 percent of the mailed ballots had been returned to the clerk’s office.

Residents can still register to vote and cast a ballot on Monday and Election Day.

Election machines will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day at four locations across the county. In-person voting will return to the Douglas County Community & Senior Center, and will also be open at the Washoe Tribe, Topaz Ranch Estates and Kahle community centers.

Any registered voter who hasn’t already cast a ballot may vote at any of the locations. The Election Tent in Minden will also be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday for voters to drop off the ballots they received in the mail. Ballots must be postmarked by Election Day to be counted.