A judge has ruled that selected polling places in Clark County can stay open until 8 p.m. on Tuesday.
"Best to err on the side of allowing the full, fair opportunity for everyone to cast their votes and participate in our process," Judge Joe Hardy said in his ruling.
"Anyone who is in line at those listed locations by 8 PM shall now and hereby is permitted to vote and defendants shall allow those votes to be counted as they would with any and all other appropriately casted ballots," Hardy added later.
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Meanwhile in a separate lawsuit, the Nevada Supreme Court granted the Trump campaign's appeal over poll observation in Clark County.
On Monday, a Carson City judge denied a Trump campaign lawsuit that tried to change how Clark County processes votes during early voting. The Nevada Republican Party and Trump Campaign filed an appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court on Tuesday.
"Recognizing the importance that this is suit is resolved quickly, the Nevada Supreme Court has granted Appellants' Motion to Expedite the Appeal," says Attorney General Aaron D. Ford.
He adds, "Importantly, the Nevada Supreme Court determined that the appellants 'have not demonstrated a sufficient likelihood of success to merit a stay or injunction'. Accordingly, the count will continue in Clark County. Nevadans can remain confident that our election is fair, safe, and secure, and they can rest assured that all legal votes will be counted.”
Nevada Republican Party Chairman Michael J. McDonald says, “The Nevada Republican Party and Trump Campaign are committed to a free and fair election which is why we are taking this fight to the Nevada Supreme Court.”
Judge James Wilson Jr. ruled that while state election law that was reshaped last summer due to the coronavirus pandemic, there's no evidence that one vote is getting more weight than another.
A Carson City judge on Monday denied a Trump campaign lawsuit in Nevada that tried to change how Clark County processes votes during early voting.
Judge James Wilson Jr. ruled that while state election law that was reshaped last summer due to the coronavirus pandemic, there's no evidence that one vote is getting more weight than another.
Wilson heard a full day of arguments in the case last Wednesday in Carson City.
Democrats and a deputy state attorney general had accused the GOP and Trump campaign of just trying to disrupt ballot counting in the presidential battleground state.
In a statement, Nevada Attorney Aaron G. Ford said in part, “The president’s deliberate attempts to undermine Nevada’s elections have failed yet again. He has made every attempt to control the outcome of this election without any regard for the health and safety of residents of Nevada’s state laws designed to protect the sanctity of the ballot. Today’s ruling makes clear that there is a proper procedure to observe an election that even the president must follow, and it’s most certainly a victory for the constitutional rights of all Nevadans.”
Nevada State Democratic Party Chair William McCurdy II released the following statement:
“This isn’t the first time this election cycle that the courts have denied the Trump campaign’s baseless attempts to intervene in Nevada’s election. For the past year, Donald Trump and his emissaries in state have launched rhetorical and legal attacks to undermine voter confidence in our electoral process. Trump and the GOP have besmirched Governor Sisolak and state legislators for the simple act of standing up for voters and ensuring Nevadans feel empowered to exercise their sacred right to vote during this monumental election. Trump and his allies are attacking our election processes because they do not want to hear from the hardworking people of our state. They are terrified of finally facing the consequences of their disastrous four years in office. But Trump will not decide this election; the American people will. As Nevadans choose a new direction for our state and our country on Election Day, Nevada Democrats will continue to stand with the voters.”
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
UPDATE: OCTOBER 29, 2020
A Nevada judge says he’ll decide soon whether Las Vegas election officials can continue to process mail-in ballots and use a computer to verify voter signatures.
With nearing 270,000 mailed ballots already received in Democratic-leaning Clark County, the judge in Carson City heard observers testify that they couldn't get close enough to see signature verification.
An attorney for the Donald Trump re-election campaign and state Republicans argued lack of transparency threatens the legitimacy of the election.
Democrats and a deputy state attorney general accused the GOP and Trump campaign of just trying to disrupt ballot counting in a presidential battleground state.
ORIGINAL STORY:
The Trump campaign and Nevada Republicans want a state judge to stop the counting of Las Vegas-area mail-in ballots, alleging that “meaningful observation” of signature-checking is impossible in the state’s biggest and most Democratic-leaning county.
The lawsuit filed 10 days before the Nov. 3 election alleges the local elections chief failed to get proper approval in April from the Secretary of State for the vote plan.
It also complains that a GOP offer to install video monitoring equipment at the Clark County election headquarters was rejected.
Nevada State Democratic Party Chair William McCurdy II released the following statement:
"This lawsuit from Trump and Republicans is nothing more than an obvious attempt to impede record-breaking momentum in Clark County, the most diverse county in the state. Throughout this election, Trump and Republicans have resorted to baseless attacks to undermine confidence in Nevada’s election integrity. So, it’s no surprise that now, as Democrats hold a significant mail ballot lead in Clark County, Republicans are making one more desperate play. The demands articulated in the GOP’s lawsuit amount to voter suppression, plain and simple. Like the Trump campaign’s last attempt to interfere with Nevada’s election, this suit is nothing but a sham. Nevadans are tired of the GOP’s bad faith cowardice, and that is why they will remain laser-focused on rejecting Trump for the next eleven days.”
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
