Voters are turning in their absentee ballots early. With 22 days until the election, more than 10,000 voters have turned in their ballots. Washoe County sent out nearly 300,000 paper ballots as part of a new state law that requires absentee ballots for every active voter because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It's nice to see turnout is high and there's a lot of interest in the election, this year," Deanna Spikula, Washoe County Registrar of Voters said. "We always like to see a lot of interest in elections because that's what we do and we want every eligible citizen to vote, make their voice heard."
Most of the early returns have come through the mail but there is also a steady stream of voters who are opting to turn their ballots in at the registrar's office.
"We just want to make sure our ballots get counted because it's a very important time of year and I just want to do everything correctly," Lawrence Clark, Reno resident said.
"We chose going this route because we felt it would be the safest way to go to make sure that it gets counted and it's not lost in the mail," Carlos Eger, Sparks resident said.
Many voters are reluctant to mail their ballots. Residents can vote through an absentee ballot, or in-person during early voting or on election day. Some say dropping the ballots off is the easiest and safest way to vote, not just their vote but for their health.
"I'm at-risk and I didn't want to stand in any line, and my wife is at-risk," Charles Kuennen, Sparks resident said.
"It really was really easy," Roy Childs, Reno resident said. "You just fill your ballot out, bring it in or you can put it in the mailbox but I'd rather do it personal, making sure that it's being taken care of properly."
Spikula says voters started showing up with their ballots, almost immediately after receiving them in the mail.
"It was like the day after most people actually received their ballots, we were getting people coming in and turning them in," Spikula said.
Spikula says all three ways to vote are safe and secure, and voters should be confident that their votes will count regardless of which method they choose.
"We've never had a recount that has had one vote difference in all the time we've had those and the scanners, we've been using since 2016," Spikula said.
Early voting begins Saturday and runs for two weeks. Spikula says that is the most popular way for people to vote. A CBS Battleground Tracker shows that 41 percent of voters will cast their ballots early, in-person. 36 percent say they will vote by absentee ballot and 23 percent will wait until election day.
"Just like in prior elections, early voting is extremely popular so I think that will be our highest turnout category," Spikula said.
Some voters have already received their sample ballots. Those have information like polling locations and times. They also have information on the state ballot questions, including the pros and cons for each. Voters are encouraged to take their sample ballots with them if they vote in-person.
"There's a bar code here that the intake person can scan and that'll bring up their record instead of them having to go and search for it," Spikula said.
Spikula says Washoe County is ready for early voting to begin. Voting machines and supplies will be delivered in the coming days, ahead of early voting.
"All the machines have been tested. The accuracy testing has been completed and the machines have been programmed for the election."
