Nevada Secretary of State clears Blundo in electioneering complaint

Nye County Commission District 4 Republican nominee Leo Blundo has been determined not to have violated Nevada’s electioneering laws following the filing of complaints against him with the Nevada secretary of state.

His former Republican opponents, Tina Trenner and Ron Boskovich, alleged that Blundo had broken the electioneering law multiple times during the primary voting period by approaching the polling place at closer than 100 feet of the entrance, which is prohibited for political candidates. Trenner and Boskovich provided evidence in the form of statements taken from witnesses, images of text messages and a video of Blundo near the entrance to the polling place during voting.

However, nearly four months after the complaints were filed, the secretary of state has finally notified all parties of the office’s determination and that the case was to be closed without further action. “While the evidence received and statements… indicate that Mr. Blundo at various times may have been within the 100-foot limitation, they do not support a violation of Nevada Revised Statute 293.361,” the notice from the Secretary of State’s Office detailed.

Blundo said he was very satisfied with the decision, noting that he felt vindicated. “The Nevada secretary of state has notified me in writing that the frivolous complaint filed by Ms. Trenner and Mr. Boskovich back in July has been found to have no merit and there is no violation of either state or federal law,” Blundo stated of the result. “This victory motivates me even more to work hard for the support and vote of the citizens of Nye County.”

Trenner on the other hand was undoubtedly disappointed, expressing her frustration in a statement sent to the Pahrump Valley Times the same evening the determinations were made. “Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske has determined that Mr. Blundo has not violated the electioneering laws, even though they said he was within the 100-foot rule and knew he was doing it, which is a violation of the very law they let him slide on. What? Banana republics function like this. I expect better of Cegavske,” Trenner penned. “We are living in a nation devoid of laws.”

Trenner and Boskovich had additional allegations as well, Trenner accusing Blundo of violating “robo-call” laws while Boskovich filed a complaint regarding the placement of political signs. In these matters, the secretary of state informed both that the office does not have authority over those areas, referring Trenner to the Federal Communications Commission and Boskovich to the jurisdiction in which the signs were placed if they wished to seek further action on those complaints.

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com