Nevada Voters Waited Five Hours at Brinley High School to Cast Ballots

The last ballot cast in Nevada on election night arrived at the Brinley High School polling place just before midnight. This final vote was recorded five hours after the standard 7:00 p.m. closing time. The delay marked the longest wait in the state's recent history. An analysis by The Nevada Independent found the final vote in Nevada came more than two hours later than in any of the previous six general elections. Breanna Lareese Butler, a 36-year-old employee of United Healthcare, waited three hours at the Las Vegas location after her work shift. Her feet were numb from the cold as she stood in line. Butler was one of hundreds of residents who faced long waits during the recent election.

The Brinley High School site was the final polling place to remain open in the state. Several factors contributed to the delays. The Clark County ballot was lengthy, requiring time for voters to analyze 58 district court judgeships, a contest that occurs only once every six years. Voters also lacked clear information about which polling centers were available. Clark County officials were surprised by when and where residents chose to vote. Nevada law prohibits the release of preliminary results until every person in line at the 7:00 p.m. close has voted. This rule, shared only by a few other states including Hawaii, South Dakota, and Maryland, made Nevada the last state to publish its initial results this year, even after Hawaii and Alaska.

Lorena Portillo, the Clark County Registrar, attributed the delays to voter enthusiasm during a press conference. She stated that there were no problems with the process, despite contradictory messages from other county officials. Portillo said the number of voting machines was sufficient based on prior participation data. However, she noted that Brinley High School was a new location for which the county had less historical data. Jennifer Cooper, a county spokesperson, added in a written statement that the county cannot add more machines without additional power sources. The county plans to explore all available solutions to reduce in-person voting times, including seeking community partnerships for new centers and improving voter volume projections.

Experts noted that long lines often cause voters to leave. Ted Allen, a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and former election official, estimated that 2% to 4% of voters in line leave each hour. This results in fewer votes in areas with long queues. In Las Vegas, Briseyda Jaimes, 21, left the City Hall polling place after waiting more than an hour with her 14-month-old daughter around 1:00 p.m. She returned later to vote, citing a desire to represent immigrant families who could not vote. Trey Hood, a political science professor at the University of Georgia, described the wait times as the longest he has heard in this election cycle.

Cisco Aguilar, the Nevada Democratic Party Secretary, said he wants to review the state law governing the release of results. He emphasized that national attention will return to Nevada in 2028 for the early Democratic presidential primary. Aguilar stated that the state should review funding provided to county election offices. He called for data-driven decisions and collaboration between state and county officials to address the challenges faced during the recent vote. The specific details of future reforms depend on legislative committee assignments and the priorities of newly elected Governor Aaron Ford.