Out of all 50 states, Nevada’s midterm election results were the last to come in on Election Day.
The Associated Press declared Cisco Aguilar the winner of the Nevada Secretary of State race at 12:39 a.m. on November 4th, nearly six hours after polls closed. It was the first race in the Silver State to be called, after results were not released until 11:58 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3rd.
The Nevada Secretary of State's office tells us a mix of factors kept it from releasing the results it already had.
Nevada state law
Nevada Revised Statutes prohibit anyone from releasing any results until the last person in line has voted. If someone does, they're guilty of a misdemeanor.
Compare that to a state like California, which can release results as soon as polls close at 8 p.m. The AP declared Xavier Becerra the Golden State’s governor right then.
Long lines in Clark County
So when did the last Nevadan cast their vote?
The Secretary of State's office told 2 News Nevada that 15 counties and Carson City confirmed everyone had voted by 9:30 p.m. on Election Day.
The one holdout was Clark County.
The final voter there cast their ballot at Brinley Middle School in Las Vegas at 11:57 p.m. Nevada results came down a minute later, nearly five hours after polls closed at 7 p.m.
Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar was unavailable for interviews on Monday to discuss the delay in election results, but he did release a statement to 2 News Nevada.
The full statement is as follows:
“Voters in Nevada deserve credit for their dedication during this General Election. They showed up despite the chaos the federal administration tried to incite in the months leading up to the election, and they overcame serious challenges on Election Day. That dedication is worthy of commendation, but no voter should have to wait in line for five hours.
“Nevadans deserve better, and my team is ready to support Clark County officials and officials from any county willing to take ownership and confront these issues head on.
“The modernized election system we implemented gives us significantly more insight into county processes and voter activity than we have ever had before. We’ve been pouring over the data since last night to better understand what happened and will readily share what we learn with counties to help them ensure it doesn’t happen again.”
The Secretary of State’s Office deferred further questions to Clark County. We have reached out to them, and their statement is included below.
“The process facilitated by the Clark County Election Department allowed for everyone interested and eligible to vote to do so. The County warned of the potential for long lines early on Election Day as we expected strong voter turnout. The Registrar has acknowledged that it is unfortunate that some polling locations experienced longer than usual lines, and this will be analyzed to improve the process at these locations going forward.
“Voting sites are resourced with equipment and staff based off the use of that location in previous election cycles, and the location with the last voter, Brinley Middle School, was a first-time polling site this election year. Additionally, the Elections Department is unable to add machines to a location if additional power sources are unavailable – this is a challenge with locations across the region.
“As we move into preparations for 2028, the Elections Department will work to ensure that all available solutions to reduce the length of time it may take a voter to cast an in-person vote are explored, including seeking more community partnerships for new voting sites and forecasting potential voter volume. In two years, the voters will have the benefit of knowing the new three-step voting process that was put in place this year. Ballots that are more than one page will always take additional time, and the two-card ballot this year was unique to Clark County. The County continues to welcome the Secretary’s perspective on reducing the length of a ballot when uncontested races are included.
“The County has greatly invested in improvements to our elections process. Every eligible person has a right to vote through whichever manner they choose, and Clark County will work to ensure the ability to do that is not hindered.”
