Douglas certifies election results

The suspense in certifying Douglas County’s election results didn’t have anything to do with the actual operation but getting it certified on a stormy Friday afternoon.

At 3 p.m., only Commissioner Mark Gardner was in his seat at the Douglas County Courthouse, with Chairman Wes Rice attending virtually due to weather conditions at Lake Tahoe.

Commissioner Walt Nowosad had an appointment he couldn’t change, and Danny Tarkanian had connection issues. After around 10 minutes, Vice Chairwoman Sharla Hales was up virtually from a car somewhere. Tarkanian’s feed dropped off before the vote was taken, leaving a quorum of three commissioners to canvass and certify the election.

Clerk-Treasurer Amy Burgans said the election in the county was seamless thanks to the 130 election workers who supported the effort.

“I can’t be more exhilarated in how the election went,” she said. “All I can offer is a humble thank-you for the support I received from this this year. It was wonderful.”

She thanked Douglas County Community Services for the use of the centers across the county, the Indian Hills General Improvement District for hosting polls at their offices and the Washoe Tribe for their collaboration.

I want to thank commissioners and the community,” she said. “I watched multiple communities go through this process today, and the level of support I receive in Douglas County is amazing. What an awesome thing to be part of a wonderful community.”

Burgans presented final numbers for the 2024 General Election that showed the county had an 84.3 percent turnout with 35,623 voters casting a ballot. That’s 598 votes more than the total announced on Nov. 7 and includes all the mailed ballots that arrived from the U.S. Post Office and were dropped off on Election Day.

She said that 10,266 ballots were received in total through the Postal Service almost half of the 22,559 total mailed ballots returned by voters.

Only 4,298 voters cast a ballot on Election Day, which accounted for 12 percent of the electorate, with 8,766 casting a ballot early in-person in the two weeks before Nov. 5.

According to Burgans, 483 Douglas residents took advantage of same-day registration, which was the most the county has ever seen.

Rice commended the election team for their work.

“I have not received a single report of any shenanigans from Douglas County voters or any people who handled the vote,” he said.

Rice dropped off his mailed ballot on the first day he could.

“I’m sure there are a lot of people who enjoyed the process and avoiding the lines some other areas had,” he said.

Hales said she voted in person and appreciated the efficiency.

“There was an atmosphere that was respectful of every voter,” she said. “It really was top notch.”

Johnson Lane resident Jim Jackson was the sole opening public comment.

“I congratulate Amy on a well-run election,” he said. “I fel Douglas County did a very good job. The staff was extremely helpful.”

Lake Tahoe resident Kirk Walder, who served as an election worker, said he supported certification of the election.

“The soundness of Amy’s effort demonstrates the dedication she has to the election process,” he said “She exhibits strong leadership and has committed herself to achieving the highest skill level and knowledge of the election process.”

Burgans said voting history on the Nevada Secretary of State’s website should indicate that voters mail ballot was counted next early next week.

For the first time, five Douglas County Jail inmates received a ballot.

Gardner pointed out that Douglas County had one of the higher turnouts in the state.

According to silverstateelection.nv.gov Douglas had the sixth highest turnout in the state. The highest turnout in the Silver State was in Lincoln County with 92.23 percent, followed by Humboldt with 88.09 percent. However, the combined number of ballots cast in all five of the counties with a higher turnout than Douglas amounted to only 2,726 more votes. That’s more than Lincoln County’s 2,482 total.