Turnout light so far in 2022 General Election

Turnout was light on Saturday with 352 voters casting a ballot in person during the four hours the polls were open.

As of Saturday afternoon, the Clerk-Treasurer’s Office reported receiving 593 ballots voters received in the mail, bringing the total to 945, so far.

“(The numbers) included the mail ballots that we have been able to signature verify and accept, though we have not started the deconstruction process on those yet,” Clerk-Treasurer Amy Burgans said. “We will begin that next week. This Monday the livestream of the mail ballot process will go live on the Douglas County YouTube channel.”

That turnout is light compared to the 2020 early voting totals that saw 709 people line up to vote in person in the middle of the coronavirus outbreak. The first three days of the 2018 mid-term election saw 3,065 people vote in person.

As of the end of September, Douglas County is home to 39,826 active voters, according to the Nevada Secretary of State’s Office. More than half, 20,653, are Republicans. Another 8,632 list no party affiliation and there are 7,887 Democrats in the county.

On Monday, early in-person voting continues at the Douglas County Community & Senior Center in Gardnerville and the historic Douglas County Courthouse in Minden 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday through Nov. 4. The polls will be open regular hours the Nevada Day holiday on Friday and again 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Voting booths are set up in the red, white and blue voting tent behind the courthouse.

Those voting in person should bring the ballots they received in the mail so poll workers can stamp and destroy then.

Mailed ballots may also be dropped off at the polls, saving the county the cost of postage.

The streaming feed allows the public to watch live, or go back and watch, everything involved in the mail ballot process, including signature verification, ballot batching and processing, deconstruction, tallying and adjudicating.

“Although this process can be viewed, voting names and voting information are still kept confidential and cannot be viewed through the streaming process,” officials said.

To view the livestream which will be on seven days a week, 24 hours a day, click the link www.youtube.com/user/douglascountynevada

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In-person early voting starts 10 a.m. today in Douglas County, though ballots have been arriving in the mail since they were mailed out on Oct. 7.

“We are ready to go, and excited to hold an epic election for Douglas County,” Clerk-Treasurer Amy Burgans.

Douglas County voters will be able to vote early at the historic courthouse, 1616 Eighth St., in Minden and at the Community & Senior Center in Gardnerville through Nov. 4.

Voting machines will be available 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today and Oct. 29, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 8 on Election Day at the courthouse, and Douglas County, Kahle, TRE and Washoe Tribe community centers.

Residents who choose to vote in person, can bring the unmarked ballots they received in the mail to turn over to the election clerks for destruction. 

It’s a felony to even attempt to vote twice and voters will have to sign a document at the polls attesting that they either have or will destroy their ballot. The big red, white and blue election tent is set up behind the Courthouse where voters can drop off filled out ballots they received in the mail. Dropping off mailed ballots saves the county the cost of postage. 

Staffed drop-off locations are scheduled across the county, including both in-person locations.

Ballot boxes will be available at the Washoe Tribe Community Center, Fish Springs, Gardnerville Ranchos, Johnson Lane and Sunridge fire stations, the Genoa Town Hall, and the community centers on a rotating schedule in the two weeks leading up to the election. For more information visit govotedouglas.com

All mailed ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 8 to be counted.