Nevada Election Observers: Rules and Constraints

Written and Published in Partnership with All Voting is Local.

Election observers, referred to as “polling place observers” in Nevada, are individuals who monitor polling places and ballot counting sites. While election observers play an important role in providing transparency, they can also be a potential source of disruption and intimidation. For this reason, all states have a series of regulations and constraints regarding who can serve as election observers and what they can do. Nevada’s rules on observers, which derive both from the state’s election statutes and from its administrative code, are:

Appointment

• Any member of the general public may serve as an observer at a polling place without appointment, except for members of the press or anyone who “gathers information for communication to the public.”footnote1_uQ8i7rBGpKvVRQ3aYk08DCUX1EXAyQxKTyvfyP58bA_cYztmc9QIvwP1 Nev. Rev. Stat. § 293.274(1), (3). See also, generally, Nev. Admin. Code § 293.245.
• Any member of the general public may serve as an observer at a central ballot counting place without appointment.footnote2_gr8mQjWrbcc5VfUzmRcluTi06C4W2eak45voLBymc4_whvhIhFpDsxp2 Nev. Rev. Stat. § 293B.353(1).
• In order to observe, a person must sign Form EL704 (for observers at a polling place) or Form EL 711 (for observers at a central ballot counting place), acknowledging that certain conduct is prohibited and could lead to removal.footnote3_PMDvDNnkCgK9dmvo8iyy10ueosnkPX2ktwA4Ru589P8_pIxfIwRppLGv3 Nev. Admin. Code §§ 293.245(2); 293.356(2). All observers are required to wear a name tag that shows their full name.footnote4_Ij68-rXeFwWf67K85WdexXaL14EdHs07IPgwMeQXYY_dCX0pRAdJ4bD4 Nev. Admin. Code §§ 293.245(7); 293.356(5).

Role of Observers

• The chair of the election board may designate an area at the polling place in which observers must remain while watching the election, provided that the area allows meaningful observation without infringing on the privacy and confidentiality of voters’ ballots.footnote5_iF2x-0N0pdEEEhBkiV1jGyUT-MyLfI7urgFy3v3EgM_feGKv4JxCIyO5 Nev. Admin. Code § 293.245(6).
• Meaningful observation includes observing the identification of voters who appear at the polling place, the distribution of ballots to voters, the movement of voters to and from voting booths, the return of voters’ ballots to election board officials, and the exiting of the polling place by voters.footnote6_61y8KDZ8MmiGy0iuHQez2q-aPp-YEyZ64P-efotgISY_fNs5OnFddoaj6 Nev. Admin. Code §§ 293.245(6), (9)(b).
• Observers may watch the closing of the polling place and the handling and counting of ballots as long as they do not interfere with the process.footnote7_sB3Wcs352IYsDzeyqYPYAdSfZmMRS9wPEFhxvvgBTjk_cYTEZ2mCYaGE7 Nev. Admin. Code § 293.245(5); Nev. Rev. Stat. §§ 293B.330(4), 293C.630(4).
• Observers may watch the processing and counting of ballots at the central counting place as long as they do not interfere with the process.footnote8_TVs91BCQm4Y0MD3oRx-aBXf4-gS166mxYKMxqATbDIs_eln8cROT8FUh8 Nev. Rev. Stat. § 293B.353(1).
• The county or city clerk may designate an area at the central ballot counting place in which observers should remain while watching the election, provided that the area allows meaningful observation without infringing on the privacy and confidentiality of voters’ ballots.footnote9_u9dy7doCive1EVPw0V12GtoCVipjZLlSImrcrEqw6Q_zLr3O7Kf6r6C9 Nev. Admin. Code § 293.356(4).

Prohibited Activities

• Intimidation: It is a felony under Nevada state law for anyone, including observers, to intimidate a voter or an election official in connection with an election, including by threat of coercion, violence, undue influence, blackmail, or other means.footnote10_pUd—Dzw1MUU7To-rl1I2bzNABmSTsHHXfYvBAirjI_okAGABHDOUWO10 Nev. Rev. Stat. §§ 293.705, 293.710.
• Interference: Observers are prohibited from interfering with the conduct of voting,footnote11_UYU48cdqnKH3C-13UCXmbvX2k6hmizGB8M5lwuKmrI_yHXOM9GYyULK11 Nev. Admin. Code § 293.245(2)(a)(5). ballot processing and counting,footnote12_mAEwlkHjntgXrcvJ3Ed9gUicEL-k1dVT2gNfFkFe-K4_vTSwNqj8eTD812 Nev. Rev. Stat. §§ 293B.353(1), 293B.354, 293B.380(2)(a); Nev. Admin. Code § 293.356(2)(a)(5). the postelection certification audit,footnote13_hiRkRHnOGKNNhczTH3K8eIassSj1NE8u1V4oWcUTo_hCxmsNFmd15D13 Nev. Admin. Code § 293.255(6). and the statutory duties of county or city election personnel.footnote14_ouy5I912fHaBqrUe5l48k5hMt7MFB6PL6PAKyxPNCSk_ut1O6yAjcdeI14 Nev. Admin. Code § 293.356(2)(a)(4).
• Photography and Video: Observers are not permitted to photograph or record video or sound at a polling place.footnote15_HoTTbIyVqLr6kOL2cjMVLtBj52PN9-b3Waml0Trexvs_vJdgsQuPplEQ15 Nev. Rev. Stat. § 293.274(2).
• Electioneering: Observers may not advocate for or against any political party, candidate, or ballot question. This ban includes speaking, displaying information, disseminating written material, or wearing identifying clothing, buttons, or other paraphernalia.footnote16_uTBUhO5peTZ6AFc9rDtButthOgtnDVOx6pih-QN68_x1rNJqm8YzHV16 Nev. Admin. Code §§ 293.245(9)(a), (2)(a)(3), 293.356(2)(a)(3), (7). See also Nev. Rev. Stat. § 293.740.
• Voter Interaction: Observers are prohibited from talking to voters within a polling place.footnote17_UmS3SWvnas7WxkCkkx5n07yxNozwRHOOQIHfpPPtl4_hV1lJ1W0HVvA17 Nev. Admin. Code § 293.245(2)(a)(1).
• Election Worker Interaction at Ballot Counting Places: Observers are prohibited from talking to workers within the central counting place other than the county or city clerk or someone designated by them to answer questions.footnote18_vj4LHzDH6hQtzQMenNKFHpJlW24qZqw0FL1unG6wQA_dIzId1ygeiWh18 Nev. Admin. Code § 293.356(2)(a)(1).
• Viewing Voter Information: Meaningful observation does not include viewing a voter’s personal information, ballot, or selections on a voting machine.footnote19_iVujHYUHRVoL5Qe2giJr9xkrATUUIGA2EQ52W83mRCE_z6dGi8azGjsr19 Nev. Admin. Code § 293.245(9)(b)(1).
• Listening to Conversations: Meaningful observation does not include listening to conversations between election board officers or between those officers and voters.footnote20_ZtzwH59cLS4VLWcnyAJHpLqAekARdsifSVeUqFFB8Aw_lceBZHArIz8V20 Nev. Admin. Code § 293.245(9)(b)(2).
• Device Use: Observers may not use a cell phone or a computer within a polling place or central ballot counting place.footnote21_IKsOmkGJNL81E6XHibsbe0FEKKA12uhB5InBsyDcD1c_iWrWZKsAQb8V21 Nev. Admin. Code §§ 293.245(2)(a)(2), 293.356(2)(a)(2).
• Arguing Decisions: Observers are forbidden from arguing about or challenging any decisions of election personnel at a polling place.footnote22_RxHzVMOPaZVDqN23V3wNmXRMG4cehOc46Ic9BZDNMmM_fzn5lEk9vMPD22 Nev. Admin. Code § 293.245(2)(a)(4).

Federal and state law strictly prohibit all people, including observers, from engaging in voter intimidation. Any action that makes a voter feel intimidated, threatened, or coerced (including any effort to prevent a voter from registering to vote, voting, or voting for or against any candidate or ballot measure) could constitute voter intimidation, regardless of whether it breaks a specific rule.footnote23_cZpayQC5WK6ylmVtvi8C4p5IrzsZeEebO06Lq7y1LMI_sUba18A7U0PT23 18 U.S.C. §§ 241, 594; 52 U.S.C. § 10101(b). More information on the federal and state laws that protect Nevada voters from intimidation can be found here.

Removal

• Under Nevada law, city and county clerks have discretion to remove from a polling place or central ballot counting place any observer who violates Nevada’s election statutes or engages in any conduct forbidden under Nevada’s administrative code.footnote24_KImx6F5VXSftlNKxMaXU5I3Q8KzI1E5FOGf1P2BGA_hQRDRy8fq9sj24 Nev. Admin. Code §§ 293.245(3)(b), 293.356(2)(b).
• City and county clerks may also remove law-abiding observers to limit the number of people at polling places and central ballot counting places, to maintain public safety, voter privacy, or general order.footnote25_kF3ShV2WqRkzImbaa0XitaY6BrShJPHh2Y-xw8FdvMc_g8ZmbwEqR1Ar25 Nev. Admin. Code §§ 293.245(3)(a), 293.356(3)(a).