Voters urged to verify their information
The 2026 election season is already underway and as everyone prepares for the coming primaries and general election, Nye County Clerk Cori Freidhof wants to make certain that those who plan to participate next year are ready to do so without any issues.
“The Nye County clerk is urging all Nye County voters to verify and update their voter registration information to ensure a smooth voting experience in the upcoming elections,” a notice from the county announced this month.
“With the implementation of new voter registration processes under Nevada Revised Statutes 293.5768 and 293.57699, effective Jan. 1, 2025, many eligible Nye County residents may have been automatically registered or had their information updated through recent interactions with designated agencies, such as the Dept. of Motor Vehicles (DMV),” the notice detailed.
Known as Automatic Voter Registration (AVR), Nevada adopted this process via a 2018 ballot measure, with the first phase rolled out in 2020 utilizing the DMV. The AVR process was then expanded under Assembly Bill 432 in the 2021 legislative session to include: the Nevada Dept. of Health and Human Services and agencies authorized by the department to receive applications for Medicaid; the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange; and any tribe or agency that has been designated by the governor as an AVR agency. As of the start of 2025, all of these agencies are now participating in AVR.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) roughly half of the states in the U.S currently utilize AVR, though the process varies state to state, with two ways for residents to opt out, “front-end” and “back-end”. In Nevada, the type of opt-out used is “back-end”, meaning residents are given the option to opt out after interaction with certain state agencies.
“During their agency transaction, customers provide information needed to register to vote. After the transaction occurs, the customer is notified by the agency via a post-transaction mailer that they will be registered to vote, unless they respond to the notification and decline. If the customer takes no action, they will be registered to vote. In this approach, registration information is automatically transferred and customers may choose to decline or affiliate with a political party after receiving the post-transaction mailer,” the NCSL details.
And while AVR is intended to improve access to the electoral process for all eligible voters, it also leaves room for inaccuracies, which is why Freidhof is reminding voters to verify that their information is correct and up to date.
If voters have been automatically registered but wish to vote under a certain party, for example, they will need to update that information prior to the 2026 elections.
“Nye County voters can verify their registration status, update their information and ensure their records are accurate and current by visiting the Nevada Voter Registration page or contacting the Nye County Clerk’s Office at 775-482-8127 or 775-751-4720,” the county noted. “You can also email the clerk’s office at Clerk@NyeCountyNV.gov. Clerk staff are also available to assist in Tonopah and Pahrump, Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.”
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com
