RENO, Nev. (AP) 鈥� Commissioners in Nevada's second most populous county certified the results of two local recounts on Tuesday, reversing course on a controversial vote against certification that spurred legal action and put Washoe County in unchartered legal territory.
The 4-1 decision overturns last week's vote against certifying election recount results from June's primary in the politically mixed swath of northern Nevada, which includes Reno. The rare move had potential implications for in one of the nation鈥檚 most important swing counties.
Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar and Attorney General Aaron Ford are still waiting for the state Supreme Court to address a petition they filed last week that seeks to confirm the legal obligations of county commissioners to certify election results. While it is unclear if or when the court will take that up, a ruling could set precedent and apply to county commissions statewide who refuse to certify results in November.
Aguilar that the circumstances of last week's vote could set 鈥渁 dangerous precedent鈥� that undermines the confidence of voters.
Moments before Tuesday's redo of the vote, the county's chief deputy district attorney, Mary Kandaras, recommended that the commissioners certify the vote to follow state law.
Once seen as a mundane and ministerial task, election certification has become a pressure point since the 2020 election. During the midterms two years later, a scenario similar to what is unfolding in Washoe County played out in New Mexico after that state鈥檚 primary, when a rural county delayed certification of the results and only after the secretary of state appealed to the state鈥檚 supreme court.
Two Republican Washoe County commissioners, Jeanne Herman and Mike Clark, have consistently voted against certifying results and are supported by the that promotes election conspiracy theories.
But on Tuesday, Clark apologized to his constituents before changing his vote in favor of certification. He said he made the vote after being advised that the commission's certification is not discretionary. He said his vote came 鈥渦nder extreme duress under the threat of both my position, and prosecution.鈥� Throughout the meeting, he doubled down on his mistrust of the county鈥檚 election tallies.
鈥淚鈥檓 not going to call it a vote, because it isn鈥檛 a vote,鈥� he said before voting in favor of certifying the recounts. 鈥淲e鈥檙e compelled and we have to.鈥�
Republican Commissioner Clara Andriola, who the far-right movement had targeted in the primaries, also reversed course on Tuesday. She has often been the swing vote in election votes 鈥� rejecting the label of election denier and thanking the county elections department, while alleging that several 鈥渉iccups鈥� in the process called for more governmental bodies to look at county elections processes.
On Tuesday, Andriola said that she has more recently met with the county's interim registrar of voters, who gave her more confidence in how elections are run in Washoe County. She also spoke with the county district attorney鈥檚 office, who she said made it clear that the commission's duty is to certify election results without discretion.
鈥淥ur responsibility is to follow the law,鈥� Andriola said.
The local far-right movement has been on full display at commission meetings, where conspiracy theories about voting machines and have become a mainstay during the commission's public comment sections and have led to in the local election office the past four years.
Amidst the rapid election staff turnover, the county elections department has also made certain administrative mistakes, like sending mail ballots to voters who had opted out of receiving them and misprinting certain local sample ballots, though none that affect tabulation.
On Tuesday, most commenters urged the commissioners to not certify the results. Some repeated false claims of stolen elections, broken machines and a 鈥渃abal鈥� within the county that undermines elections. Others called for a hand recount or a complete redo of the election.
One commenter printed out pictures of city and county employees that she accused of corruption. Several times, commission chair Alexis Hill threatened to go into a recess when public comments were interrupted or delved into calling out individuals, rather than the board itself. A few commenters had urged commissioners to certify the vote.
鈥淪tand your ground, stay the course. You showed backbone last week. Don鈥檛 lose it now,鈥� said Bruce Parks, the chairman of the Washoe GOP that falsely alleged Joe Biden did not win the 2020 election.
Gabe Stern, The Associated Press
