Update (8/1/2025):
Washoe County has moved to dismiss Cari-Ann Burgess' complaint filed against the county after a third-party investigation.
According to the motion filed with the United States District Court in the District of Nevada, Washoe County claims that Burgess led the county to believe she had the skills to be the Registrar of Voters, but showed over the course of her employ that she "demonstrated gross incompetence."
In the motion the County also accuses Burgess of violating federal and state law by requiring deactivations for the County's voter list, issuing a defective sample ballot, trying to set up illegal ballot drop boxes at churches, and fraudulently charging overtime for non-mandatory social events.
The third-party investigation uncovered three findings:
That Burgess allegedly violated the County's Honesty policy through "misrepresentations to the public" and through inaccurate timecard reporting.
That Burgess also allegedly violated the County's Respect and Positive Work Environment policies by not recognizing employee contributions, making her employees uncomfortable with inappropriate remarks, and making threats to the employees such as "I'm going to punch you in the throat," which she dismissed as joking.
That Burgess lacked the competency to serve in the position, saying she demonstrated a lack of knowledge regarding the laws, regulations and procedures regarding elections.
The motion also pushes back against Burgess' claims that the County failed to accommodate her disability by claiming she has not provided enough evidence to show she has any actual disability.
You can read the motion in full below, in pdf format.
Update (6/6/2025):
Former interim Registrar of Voters Cari-Ann Burgess has filed a lawsuit against Washoe County.
The lawsuit alleges the county created a toxic work environment for Burgess and discriminated against her along with inflicting emotional distress.
It also alleges the county defamed Burgess by publicly saying she took medical leave due to stress-related issues and subsequently saying she was on leave pending an investigation into her job performance.
In response, Washoe County released this statement 2 News Nevada.
“The County is in the process of reviewing the amended complaint, which was only recently filed and served. The previous Complaint had not been served on the County. We plan to file a response and vigorously defend the action. Due to pending litigation, we have no further comment at this time.”
After Burgess left, the Washoe County Board of Commissioners voted to appoint Deputy Registrar of Voters Andrew McDonald to take the head position.
SEPTEMBER 25, 2024
The interim Washoe County Registrar of Voters Cari-Ann Burgess is taking a leave of absence - ahead of the November election.
In a release, a spokesperson said that Burgess told Washoe County Manager Eric Brown that she was dealing with stress related health issues.
Brown recommended that she take a leave of absence for self-care.
"We are committed to the health and well-being of Ms. Burgess and running a smooth and fair election is a top priority for the County," said the statement in part. "The Registrar of Voter's office is prepared and confident for the upcoming Election in November."
It is unknown how long Burgess' leave of absence will last. In the meantime, Deputy Registrar Andrew McDonald is stepping in to assist in taking over office functions.
All Voting Is Local Nevada senior campaign manager Jennifer Willett released this statement:
“Our election officials are under a tremendous amount of pressure. They, like voters, are the backbone of our democracy, and we wish Interim Registrar Burgess rest and peace of mind during this time. The continued rise in threats and harassment against, and the constant pressuring of, our election officials is totally unacceptable. Now more than ever, we must support those who keep our democracy strong by running elections.”
