An attorney for the Nevada Republican Party (NRP) has asked Secretary of State Ross Miller to investigate several “troubling” issues related to early voting. In a strongly worded letter delivered yesterday, David O’Mara pointed out a number of discrepancies reported by GOP poll watchers in Clark and Washoe counties.
The complaint focuses on a variety of issues including early voting logs, which compare the number of voters who signed in as they arrived to the total number of ballots cast on the voting machines. In most cases the discrepancies are small — one or two votes — and registrars have chalked them up to transcription errors. However, O’Mara said the party wants a better, more transparent process for resolving the discrepancies.
O’Mara also took issue with the methods of logging vote counts on machines before the polls open each morning, saying the process had been changed three days into early voting in Clark County. Initially, poll workers checked the vote counts of each machine and manually logged the number on a form. The forms were then revised to provide the number that corresponded with the “correct” vote count, requiring only a check mark to verify that the number matches the count.
In addition, O’Mara said various poll workers have observed handwritten changes to polling logs in Washoe County including the questionable use of white out or tape and then a photocopying of the log such that the original information cannot be seen.
The letter provided the responses received from each registrar or county clerk regarding the issues, and in some cases asked the Secretary of State to exercise its oversight authority to correct matters.
The NRP letter follows a letter by Sharron Angle’s general counsel accusing Democrats of trying to influence election by offering free food and/or gift cards at early voting events and rallies near poll locations.