The lead in the race for Nevada's official state quarter is as slight as the edge of a well-worn coin, according to Kathy Besser, chief of staff for the Nevada treasurer.
"Four of the five designs are all actually within a couple hundred votes of each other," Besser said Wednesday.
In a continued effort to make sure every Nevadan gets a chance to vote in what has become such a tight race, Treasurer Brian Krolicki announced that polls will be open at county treasurers' offices next week, beginning Monday.
"The response to the state quarter has been overwhelming," said Krolicki, noting that early tallies showed more than 40,000 votes had been cast in the first two weeks of the initiative.
For Carson City residents, voting at County Treasurer Kramer's office at 201 N. Carson St. will begin Monday and go until Friday, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Lyon County residents can vote at 27 S. Main St. in Yerington and 801 Overland Loop in Dayton from Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Douglas County residents can go to 1616 Eighth St. in Minden and vote Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
In Storey County, voters can vote only on from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday when voting will take place upstairs at 26 South B St. in Virginia City.
Nevadans can also vote online at www.nevadatreasurer.gov and at the State Museum at 600 N. Carson St.
The final five designs feature symbols of Nevada's wildlife, native and mining history.
They were rendered into images by artists from the U.S. Mint based on more than 500 narrative ideas for the coin submitted by Nevadans and reviewed by an 18-member volunteer panel.
"Morning in Nevada" depicts three wild horses galloping in front of a Sierra Nevada sunrise, or sunset, depending on your perspective.
"Nevada's Early Heritage" pictures the outline of the state with a petroglyph inside, a Dat-So-La-Lee basket and a tule duck decoy artifact.
"The Silver State" features a Grant Wood-style portrait of a Comstock-era miner holding a pickax."
"Nevada Wilderness" depicts a bighorn sheep above a range of snow-capped mountains.
The "Battle Born Nevada" design closely mimics the symbolic emblems of the state flag.
The voting will go until 5 p.m. May 30.
Krolicki says he expects to announce the winning design May 31.
The quarter, to be released into circulation in January, will be the 36th in the U.S. Mint's popular "50 State Quarters" program.
n Contact reporter Peter Thompson at pthompson@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1215.
