BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS WASHOE COUNTY, NEVADA
TUESDAY 10:00 A.M. JULY 9, 2024
PRESENT:
Alexis Hill, Chair Jeanne Herman, Vice Chair Michael Clark, Commissioner Mariluz Garcia, Commissioner Clara Andriola, Commissioner
Janis Galassini, County Clerk Eric Brown, County Manager
The Washoe County Board of Commissioners convened at 10:00 a.m. in special session in the Commission Chambers of the Washoe County Administration Complex, 1001 East Ninth Street, Reno, Nevada. Following the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of our Country, County Clerk Jan Galassini called roll and the Board conducted the following business:
24-0476 AGENDA ITEM 3 Public Comment.
Mr. Drew Ribar displayed a document that was placed on file with the Clerk. He claimed that former United States (US) Vice President (VP) Al Gore, former US Secretary of State (SOS) Hillary Clinton, and US Senator Bernie Sanders were election deniers. He remarked that the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) was comprised of people on both ends of the political spectrum and opined that all political parties had members who denied elections. He divulged that he planned to sue Washoe County because his name was left off the sample ballot and believed his situation provided enough proof to call for a complete redo of the primary election. He thought a redo would determine if elections were fair and transparent, which he asserted the people deserved. He speculated that the County attempted to hide something during the recount because the cameras were off.
Mr. Nick Martin opined that the first 2024 US presidential debate shocked people. He said the public was suspicious of President Joe Biden’s cognitive state despite the mainstream media’s reports that he was mentally sharp. He noted that ten days after the debate, Mr. George Stephanopoulos asked President Biden if he planned to take a cognitive test, to which President Biden responded no. Mr. Martin believed President Biden had an opportunity to prove to the public that he was fit for office by agreeing to take a test, but would not do so because he feared failure. He claimed the BCC had a chance to prove the elections were accurate by ordering a hand recount of the ballots.
Mr. Paul White said there was abundant evidence to prove that the primary election results were fraudulent. He opined that the Board should invalidate the election results and schedule a new election with hand-counted paper ballots, which would guarantee that honestly elected candidates were in leadership positions. He claimed the Founding Fathers believed that the best implementation of human law occurred when decisions were made based on certain religious values. He thought many political leaders at all levels were godless and only acted out of self-interest and personal gain. He stated that the way the Board voted would reveal their personal values.
Ms. Janet Butcher asserted that the truth did not mind being questioned, and a lie did not like being challenged. She declared that Washoe County’s website did not indicate whether her vote was counted. She stated there was nothing wrong with questioning the election and opined a hand count would verify whether the original vote tabulation was correct. She appreciated Mr. Ribar’s comments and wondered why there were errors in every election. She believed Washoe County could do better, and the Board had an opportunity to step up and make the election process more transparent.
Mr. Robert Beadles provided documents that were distributed to the Board and placed on file with the Clerk. He opined the Board was given bad legal advice during the Canvass of the Vote. He thought the Board was only required to vote on the canvass with a yes or no; it was not required to certify the vote. He remarked that he provided the Board with two reports, the first from one of the world's most sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) networks and the other from one of the top mathematicians. He said the cast vote records were a spreadsheet that showed how many people voted, by what method, and in what precinct. He declared that when the AI supercomputer and the mathematician analyzed the cast vote records, they found that the chances for legitimacy of the Washoe County 2024 Primary Election results were about the same odds of picking one atom out of one hundred quadrillion glasses of water. He claimed it was a 13.4 sigma event, which was impossible. He asserted that the recount would not prove any fraudulence because the Registrar of Voters (ROV) recounted the ballots in the same manner as the original count; therefore, the results would be the same. He pointed out that the candidates and the Franklin Project had paid for and demanded a hand recount, which did not occur. He alleged the elections were hijacked by someone or something, and the proof was in the data he provided. He speculated that the Board would be an accessory to a crime if it chose to certify the recount after receiving the information he supplied. He stated the County needed an independent investigator to verify his data. He suggested the Board give the cast vote record to mathematic professionals at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) for analysis. He believed the people were entitled to a legitimate election where all votes and voices were counted correctly.
Ms. Val White agreed with Mr. Beadles’s comments. She remarked that she toured the ROV’s Office with Interim ROV Cari-Ann Burgess, who, during the tour, assured people that thumb drives would not be used until election night. Ms. White reported that she and several other observers noticed thumb drives were used multiple times throughout the election and recount process. She said bad things could happen when foreign hardware entered a cyber-secure environment. She recalled that she asked Ms.
Burgess how people could know that the cables plugged into the hardware were truly secure, to which Ms. Burgess had responded that people would have to trust her. Ms. White wondered how people could trust the ROV. She asserted there were cell phones in the election processing room despite Ms. Burgess’s claim that no phones would be allowed in the room apart from hers. Ms. White thought many things could go wrong with cell phones in the processing room.
Mr. Donald Fossum displayed documents that were placed on file with the Clerk. He spoke about Operation Sunlight, which he opined was an excellent publication created by Mr. Beadles to help people better understand the elections and other issues in the community.
Mr. Bill Miller expressed support for the County’s hardworking poll workers, volunteers, and supervisors. He remarked that he visited polling locations with his mother when he was young and still remembered the kindness and helpfulness of the election volunteers. He opined that to attack people based on little evidence and conspiracy theories was to attack the foundations of democracy itself. He acknowledged that there were errors with the election and believed that those errors should not provoke personal attacks that questioned the integrity of the Commissioners and County employees. He alleged no evidence of widespread election fraud and noted commonalities between conspiracy theories in Washoe County and other communities across the Nation. He urged the Board to stand up for the County and accept the recount results.
Ms. Renee Rezentes provided a document that was placed on file with the Clerk. She said she chose not to be a poll observer for the 2024 election because she was treated poorly in previous years. She declared that the SOS Deputy for Elections, Mark Wlaschin, told her he would ensure that poll observers had the same protection as workers, but he did not follow through on that promise. She stated that poll workers were allotted
$150,000 for legal fees against poll observers if they felt harassed. She wondered why observers were not given the same provision. She recalled that as a poll observer, the ROV refused to allow County security to escort her to her car after dark despite doing so for all the poll workers. She mentioned issues she observed as a poll watcher.
Ms. Joni Hammond asked the Board to vote no on the Canvass of the Recount Vote and call for a hand recount, which she believed allowed for a more transparent election process. She declared that hand counts could eliminate malfunctions or technical glitches in the election process. She thought human counters were better equipped to interpret voter intent and ensure votes were not disregarded due to technicalities. She asserted that hand counts served as independent verifications of machine counts and provided additional assurance that election results were correct. She noted that the chain of custody was strictly controlled and documented for hand counts, which ensured accountability at each step in the process. She knew that a hand count took more time and labor but insisted that increased accuracy and transparency were crucial in close elections. She asked the Board to vote no on the Canvass and order a hand recount.
Mr. Ronny James spoke on behalf of his motorcycle club, the Branded Few. He declared that the Branded Few denounced any hate, specifically any form of anti- semitism. He remarked that the club was established in 1968 by a diverse group of men, including himself. He said that the symbol on the club’s patch was a bent cross that represented luck, light, love, and life. He stated that the bird on the patch was a symbol of strength and freedom. He spoke about the uses of the bent cross symbol by Native Americans, including his grandmother, who used it in basket weaving. He claimed the club was not a hate group and that it celebrated diversity. He pointed out that the Branded Few had never been accused or convicted of being a hate group. He mentioned that the bent cross was used throughout history in building designs and art before it was modified and used to symbolize hate. He asserted that his club had never viewed the bent cross symbol as hateful.
Mr. Troy Regas did not understand why the Board wished to rescind its
$10,000 donation to the Reno Toy Run (RTR) without an investigation. He pointed out that on May 28, 2024, the BCC voted to grant over $1 million to the Karma Box Project (KBP) despite multiple women who came forward with allegations that Mr. Grant Denton used his power to take advantage of vulnerable women. He asserted that Mr. Denton deserved the presumption of innocence and a full investigation of the claims. He noted that the Board’s logic to approve the funds to the KBP was that the money was not allocated to Mr. Denton but to his nonprofit organization. He thought the Board tried to defame the RTR and all the good it did for vulnerable populations in the community by refusing to allow due process to occur. He mentioned that Commissioner Garcia called the allegations against Mr. Denton a curveball, but she did not want to lose sight of the work done by the KBP. He recalled that Commissioner Andriola said the investigation was against Mr. Denton, not the KBP. He stated that Commissioner Clark requested that the Board split the agenda item up so they could vote on the KBP grant separately, and Chair Hill refused because the Board needed to treat the organizations equally. He opined that the personal agendas of Board members were disgraceful to him and the RTR movement.
Mr. James M. Benthin provided a document that was distributed to the Board and placed on file with the Clerk. He opined that the election was fraudulent, and he did not trust it. He believed the primary election needed to be redone because people did not have faith in the election system. He read from his distributed document and declared that the candidates were denied the hand count they paid for. He claimed a contract and the law were broken and wondered why law enforcement did not intervene.
Ms. Gail Townsend urged the Board to accept the Canvass of the Recount Vote results. She claimed there were no problems with the election and speculated that the only people who believed there were issues were those who protested the results.
Ms. Allyson Ford recalled her comment from the previous Canvass of the Vote meeting, where she detailed why hand-counted ballots produced more issues than machine tabulations. She said Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) 293, which covered elections, mandated that Commissioners should certify the vote. She believed it was not a discretionary act. She urged the Board to do the job the people elected them for and certify
the vote. She remarked that Ms. Burgess and the Board were accused of being liars without integrity. She wondered why people should trust evidence from election deniers and requested that the Board certify the vote.
Ms. Kelly Stevens alleged evidence of election fraud and thought the original Canvass of the Vote should not have been certified. She spoke about Ms. Burgess’s request for $500,000 to purchase a ballot sorter from BlueCrest and claimed that the company was connected to Dominion Voting and Serbia. She mentioned Mr. Riley Sutton and declared that he had walked around the ROV’s Office with one of the District Attorneys (DA) during the election. She speculated that the County allowed someone who worked on Former US President Barack Obama’s campaign to set up a GoPro in the ROV’s Office to harass election observers. She suspected Mr. Sutton was on Washoe County’s payroll and worked on campaigns for Commissioner Garcia and Ms. Beth Smith. She remarked that Ms. Smith and Commissioner Andriola were supported by Mr. Pablo Duran, who was promoted to a full-time teaching position after he expressed support for the Board during a meeting. She postulated that the County could be exposed to a lawsuit, and the taxpayers would pay for any settlements.
Ms. Pam Netuschil requested that the Board hold one evening meeting per month so working people could attend. She reminded the Board that they represented the citizens. She thought it was the Board’s responsibility to prove to its constituents that there was no election fraud. She discussed a court case in Georgia where a University of Michigan professor proved that he could change the outcome of a mock election on a Dominion Voting machine. She asked the Board to revert to the voting machines people trusted.
Ms. Teri Graf declared that the Board was responsible for enforcing Washoe County’s rules and laws. She pointed out the number of vehicles on the road with California license plates and opined that people who lived in Nevada should be required to register their vehicles in the State. She said she was a poll observer in the 2020 election and a poll worker in the 2024 election. As an observer, she noticed some issues and brought them to the attention of the ROV. She remarked those problems were addressed but never entirely resolved. As a poll worker, she recalled several people who came to the polling site who had voted twice. She stated that she had lived in Chile for several years. She spoke about Chile’s election process while she lived there, which included paper ballots and hand counting. She remembered that in 1973, there were some issues with ballot tabulation in a few counties in Chile, but they performed a recount and resolved the problems. She believed the Board should not be afraid to call for a hand recount.
Ms. Marsha Berkbigler asserted that she was not an election denier. She mentioned some issues with paper ballots, including hanging chads. She thought those issues made it essential for elections staff to be above suspicion and question. She did not understand why the Board opposed a hand count, especially if the taxpayers did not incur the cost. She did not think any law prevented the Board from calling for a hand recount. She declared that the Board had nothing to lose if the election was fair and claimed that people just wanted to trust their government again.
Ms. Jennifer Willett self-identified as a paid lobbyist for All Voting is Local (AVIL). She asserted that AVIL advocated for policies and legislation to expand voter access. She encouraged the Board to certify the Canvass of the Recount Vote. She noted that candidates were allowed to request a recount of their race and, according to NRS, the ROV was required to recount the votes in the same manner as the initial count. She opined that the ROV diligently recounted and confirmed the initial election results. She declared that the BCC was legally obligated to certify the results and complete the election process. She urged the Board to recognize voters' choices and canvass the recount.
Ms. Marie Rodriguez recalled commenters who declared they did not receive a mail-in ballot. She alleged that the lack of a mail-in ballot did not prevent someone from voting. She spoke about a friend who had mail sent to Ms. Rodriguez’s home and chose not to pick up their mail-in ballot when it arrived because they planned to vote in person. Ms. Rodriguez stated that people knew when Election Day was and could go out and vote; they did not need a mail-in ballot. She mentioned a commenter who claimed their name was not on the ballot, but from what she understood, that person’s name was on the official ballot; it was just not on the sample ballot. She discussed technological advancements in the Country. She did not think anyone who went to the bank to make a large withdrawal would want the banker to count the money by hand and wondered why people wanted the County to count ballots by hand. She said there was always room for human error when things were done manually and machines did what they were made to do. She expressed appreciation that the media was present at the meeting and hoped they would do their due diligence to fact-check the claims made by other commenters. She remembered a news story about a public commenter who professed a desire to get Board members to step down, which concerned her. She asserted that she trusted the election process, the results of the primary election, and the recount. She asked that the Canvass of the Recount Vote be certified.
Mr. Wes Hall declared that people attended BCC meetings because they questioned the integrity of the elections. He knew the Board wanted to ensure that the elections were correctly executed. He acknowledged that while there were some issues with paper ballots, he thought there were more issues with computers. He did not understand why the County refused to perform the recount in the manner requested by the individual who paid for it.
Mr. Wayne Cates displayed a document that was placed on file with the Clerk. He remarked the document was from Statista, which kept track of all registered voters in the Country. He pointed out that in 2020, there were 168 million registered voters. He alleged that Nevada took part in ongoing election fraud and asked the Board to think about the decision it planned to make on the Canvass of the Recount Vote.
Ms. Maxine Bradshaw noted she was a Carson City resident. She claimed that Washoe County could make or break the future of all Nevadans. She thought people lived in unprecedented times that created a sense of despair, hopelessness, and anguish. She alleged the Board members were afraid to come forward or change their direction because their path was comfortable and familiar. She stated people would know they were
on the wrong path if it created chaos, confusion, and other uncertainties or negative results. She spoke about God, whom she believed would turn people towards the right path. She said Washoe County had the power to change the course of the entire State. She urged the Commissioners to stand up for the people and vote no on the Canvass of the Recount Vote.
Ms. Betty Thiessen remarked that she had served as both a poll worker and observer, during which she had seen fraud and illegal actions. She noted that in the previous election, while she was a poll observer, she checked her phone, and a security guard told her she was not allowed to use her phone, so she put it away. She recalled that shortly after, former ROV Jamie Rodriguez told her she would be asked to leave if she had her phone out again. Ms. Thiessen reported that several people in the ballot processing room accessed their cell phones that day. She declared that when she was finished observing, she tried to call her husband, but her phone did not work until she was about ten miles from her home, which led her to believe that the County hacked her phone. She asked the Board for more election transparency and to vote for an election with paper ballots and a hand recount.
Ms. Cindy Martinez said that on March 22, 2022, she was the newly elected vice chair of the Washoe County Grand Old Party (GOP) and delivered public comment regarding Vice Chair Herman’s election integrity resolution. At that time, she realized and accepted that election statutes could only be changed in the Nevada Legislature. She stated that within 20 days of that meeting, she resigned as vice chair of the GOP because she thought she could see where the well-intentioned but misguided attempts to compel the County Commissioners to change election processes were headed. She remarked that she educated herself on election laws and regulations. She recalled that in 2023, she was in favor of the Board’s retention of the Elections Group to examine the County’s election systems and processes to make recommendations for updates. She declared that she supported the BCC’s appointment of Ms. Burgess and was satisfied with the work Ms. Burgess and her staff accomplished. She expressed appreciation for the Board’s certification of the 2024 Primary Election. She requested that the Commission certify the recount based on the statutory and regulatory framework it was responsible for administering. She asked that any Commissioner who deemed it appropriate not to certify the recount substantiate their objection with concrete evidence. She alleged that failure to substantiate an adverse vote would disenfranchise Washoe County citizens and was an abject dereliction of duty.
Mr. Cliff Nellis expressed concern regarding the election process. He said people could not see what happened during ballot processing in the ROV’s Office and inside the machines. He mentioned that the signature box on mail-in ballots was located on the outside of the envelope, as opposed to under the flap like in previous years. He asked the Board to call for a hand count to verify the machines were correct, which he thought would give people confidence in the election system. He opined there was a cultural divide in the community. He claimed Ms. Lily Baran was harassed by left-leaning political groups, so she chose to pull her request for a recount.
Mr. Buddy Miller said he observed part of the election recount. He stated the law required that a recount be done in the same manner as the original; therefore, the ROV conducted the recount using the legally required method and submitted the revised results to the Board. He thought the courts, including the Supreme Court, would decide how future recounts should be carried out. He spoke about people’s claims that Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT) determined that the election results were manipulated and remarked that as an attorney, he was required to attend continuing education classes, where he was warned not to trust AI or ChatGPT. He claimed that other lawyers were fined and disciplined because they cited case law that AI made up. He alleged that Operation Sunlight’s ChatGPT was presented to the Elko County Commission, which declared that it did not like ChatGPT. He asked the Board to vote to certify the recount.
Ms. Susan Van Ness displayed a document that was placed on file with the Clerk. She alleged that Washoe County Business Technologist II Michael Mulreany had a thumb drive to plug into the tabulators and change the votes, which he did multiple times throughout the elections. She declared that volunteers were only given 2.5 hours to carry out the Republican Caucus at the North Valleys Library when they should have been allotted the entire day. She remarked that she was still in contact with many of the citizens who participated in the caucus, and several had asked her why they were marked as voted in the presidential preference primary (PPP). She opined that the North Valleys had lost confidence in the Commissioners apart from Vice Chair Herman and Commissioner Clark. She thought independent voters wanted to trust the system and planned to vote for former President Donald Trump. She asserted that the Board should vote the right way because the community was paying attention to how they voted.
Ms. Sherry Powell said she was a Carson City resident. She did not think the election issues were new problems. She believed that two judges had not signed orders before the ROV started the recount and wondered if ex parte communication took place. She stated that in 2010, she worked on judicial excellence in Washoe County, established the victim’s rights law in Nevada, and removed the statute of limitations on sexual assault. She asserted that she had not found language in the NRS that indicated the Board could not perform a hand count. She declared that the Commissioners were servants of the people and should comply if a judge ordered a hand count.
Ms. Pam Darr recalled a Telegram post from Mr. Elon Musk in which he claimed that election voting machines and mail-in ballots were too risky; therefore, paper ballots and in-person voting should be mandated. She believed that close elections should be automatically recounted and expressed consternation that Ms. Baran was attacked on social media. She opined that if the County had called for an automatic recount of Ms. Baran’s race, the attacks against her would not have happened. She remarked that her brother had worked with Toys for Tots and declared that the organization did good things in the community. She told a story about a social worker who informed her that all their clients were refugees, and a shop owner she spoke to mentioned that people could get work permits after being in the US for only four days. She stated that she had relatives who immigrated from the Philippines, had to wait several months, and paid a lot of money to work in the US. She wondered if all the affordable housing projects in the community were
built to house refugees. She speculated that people came from other countries to lower wages and ruin people’s quality of life.
Ms. Valerie Kay said she was a Douglas County resident with family and friends in Washoe County who could not attend the BCC’s morning meetings. She believed elections should be legal and transparent and asked the Board to vote against certifying the recount.
Ms. Linda Bell spoke about the sample ballot and the names omitted from it. She asserted that she went to the ROV’s Office before the primary election to notify them of the errors on the sample ballot and was informed that it was too late to correct them. She declared that Washoe County owed its citizens accurate sample ballots. She read the definition of sample ballot from NRS 293.07-1. In consideration of the errors on the sample ballot, she opined that the primary election failed the citizens and that a new election should be conducted. She believed the citizens deserved to receive ballots that included all election candidates.
Ms. Penny Brock displayed a document that was placed on file with the Clerk. She predicted former President Donald Trump would win the 2024 General Election in Washoe County but doubted he would be named the winner because of issues in the ROV’s Office. She read from the document she provided and pointed out that Ms. Amber McReynolds, an elections consultant hired by County Manager Eric Brown, had never appeared before the BCC. She explained that she used the word hiccups in her document because that was the language used by Ms. Burgess to refer to issues with the election. She claimed that a judge ordered an injunction against the machine recount, but the ROV performed it anyway, which she alleged was contempt of court.
Ms. Valerie Duvall mentioned that she was from China. She stated the US was special to her because she trusted the government and the elections but had lost that trust in the last few years. She spoke about Hong Kong’s election issues and believed similar problems existed in the US. She recalled a commenter who said they did not want a bank teller to hand count their money. She declared that banks used a machine for an initial count, and the teller counted by hand to confirm that the machine count was correct. She thought elections were important because they helped keep the citizens together. She did not believe a hand recount would be damaging if the election was fair. She asked the Board to preserve the American way of life.
Ms. Sandee Tibbett said she sent a document to the Board earlier that morning regarding a lawsuit about commercial addresses on the voter rolls. She declared that on April 11, 2024, Mr. Logan Churchwell from the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) emailed Ms. Burgess the same documents, which included 48 addresses of commercial properties on the voter rolls. She wondered how many ballots could be sent to one commercial address. She stated that when PILF sent the email, they asked Ms. Burgess what her next steps were to address the issue. Ms. Tibbett claimed that Ms. Burgess knew the voter rolls were dirty and contained commercial addresses. She remarked that the ROV’s Media Production Specialist, George Guthrie, responded to the PILF to inform that
the ROV would review the letter. He asked for the documents to be sent over, which she thought was a ploy to stretch the issue out and waste time. She noted that Mr. Beadles and Mr. Nicholas St. Jon had provided evidence to the Board about dirty voter rolls, but no action was taken. She asked the Board to review the attachments she sent to them and opined the primary election needed to be redone because no one trusted it. She believed the Board had an opportunity to redo the election and build some trust in the community. She asked the County to clean up the voter rolls, perform a hand recount, and require voter identification.
Mr. Steve Ross alleged that the Board was not motivated by accurate elections. He claimed that a polite society created corruption because people would not be held accountable. When people were in a position of power, they could be manipulative. He mentioned faith and shame and wondered if people could shame the Board into doing the right thing. He stated that the Board members had no faith, so they could not assume shame. He declared the Board was out of line.
County Clerk Jan Galassini advised the Board that she received emailed public comments which were placed on file.
24-0477 AGENDA ITEM 4 Announcements/Reports.
Commissioner Clark asserted that the Board worked for the citizens and thought the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) should listen to them. He spoke about issues with the sample ballots. He remarked that he had three ballots from three different elections that arrived at his home for someone who lived in Australia and had asked to be removed from the voter rolls. Commissioner Clark noted that the individual was continuously placed back on the rolls by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) when he renewed his license. He thought the County admitted that 25,000 ballots were returned to the Registrar of Voters (ROV). He stated if he received someone’s ballot at his house and they did not live in his neighborhood or he did not know them personally, he would throw it in the trash like junk mail. He recalled that Ms. Tibbett discussed the voter rolls, and he opined that they were the foundational basis for everything the County did. He said that when he brought up the voter rolls to the current and previous ROVs, they quoted the law to him and explained there were federal constraints regarding cleaning up the voter rolls. He declared that he spoke with the Carson City ROV and learned that in the first 18 months of being hired, around 8,000 names from Carson City’s rolls were removed. He alleged that he did not receive a mail-in ballot and received an incorrect sample ballot. He wondered if the wrong sample ballots were sent out to confuse people. He believed the 25,000 ballots returned to the ROV cost the County about $90,000. He remarked the County could have used that money to hire a detective to research and determine who should and should not be on the voter rolls.
Commissioner Clark claimed that a County official told him they personally observed the last election and saw things they found highly offensive and illogical. He pointed out that there were members of the community who thought everything was fine and that the Board should support the elections. He asked if those individuals had any
factual information, public records, or personal knowledge of what took place during elections. He mentioned there were 3,143 counties and 64 parishes in the United States (US), all of which he was sure held elections. He opined that Washoe County was ranked highest for mismanagement of elections. He divulged that he received a call from a friend in Pasadena, California, who told him Washoe County was featured on Los Angeles (LA) news. Commissioner Clark asked if any counties in the US did elections correctly or if there were any continuing education courses that County Manager Eric Brown, who oversaw the ROV Office, could utilize for resources and training. He declared that Washoe County’s elections were a mess. He asserted that he was not an election denier but had noticed a lot of mismanagement regarding elections. He believed the County should have a parallel hand count so voters could feel that they were treated fairly and the elections were run correctly. He alleged that the County could not do better under the existing management.
Commissioner Clark mentioned Ms. Lily Baran, who he supported because he liked how she thought. He noted she came within just a few votes of winning her race. He said he knew what it was like to be threatened and spoke about a conversation he had with former County Commissioner Bob Lucey during the 2022 election, where Mr. Lucey speculated that Commissioner Clark was running for a political party he was not a member of. He disclosed that Mr. Lucey planned to have Commissioner Clark arrested for that. He divulged that the Commissioners recently received a confidential memo from the District Attorney’s (DA) Office that detailed how an elected official could avoid using their position to gain an advantage during an election. He wondered if Mr. Lucey had an advantage when he used the County to hire outside counsel to take Commissioner Clark to court. He claimed Ms. Baran was attacked because she received support from someone outside her political party. He expressed frustration with the hiccups, glitches, and false information surrounding the election. He stated that he was told there would be a special meeting on July 9, 2024, at 8:00 a.m., but the day after the announcement, it was canceled with no explanation. He pointed out that a microphone was placed on the podium and asked if that was allowed. He asked if Mr. Riley Sutton worked for the County and how he obtained access to the ROV’s Office. He asked about Ms. Sherry Powell’s comment about whether Interim ROV Cari-Ann Burgess knew a judge’s decision before restraining orders and other court orders were delivered. He said the Board had to vote on the Canvass, but that did not mean they had to vote affirmatively. He wanted to smooth things over with the community and restore people’s trust in the County.
Commissioner Andriola acknowledged that the elections had room for improvement, but the Legislature needed to make most of the changes. She discussed voter identification and noted that the BCC could not impose it. She opined that many of the issues mentioned during the meeting could be changed through new legislation.
Chair Hill asked Assistant District Attorney (ADA) Nathan Edwards to remind the community about the meeting's decorum. ADA Edwards said that Chair Hill had the authority to maintain order in the Chambers, including outbursts or shouting from the audience while someone else was trying to speak. Chair Hill reminded people to treat
each other with respect and dignity. She declared that she would call a recess or remove people if they did not want to follow the rules.
Commissioner Andriola suggested that people direct their energy to a place that could impact the entire State of Nevada. She thought there was an opportunity to elect policymakers into the Legislature who would implement new election provisions. She spoke about Ms. Baran’s race and opined that it should have been automatically recounted. She pointed out that such a rule had to be implemented by the Legislature. She asserted that the Canvass of the Recount Vote was a ministerial function, not a discretionary act. The vote was the Board’s indication that the recount occurred, all errors were noted, and that the ROV’s Office would send the results to the Secretary of State (SOS).
Commissioner Garcia clarified that her email was mcgarcia@washoecounty.gov.
Commissioner Clark agreed with some of Commissioner Andriola’s points and noted that the State controlled most elections-related provisions. He said that the State granted Commissioners the opportunity to control what took place in their counties. He did not believe Washoe County needed to wait for the Legislature to make changes and opined that the Board could make adjustments to clean up the election process and instill confidence in the voters. He thought it was ineffective to wait for new legislation.
Chair Hill believed that County Commissioners should also observe decorum. She thought it was inappropriate for Commissioner Clark to comment on or attack other Commissioners' comments and asked him to refrain from doing so. Commissioner Clark requested that Chair Hill not filter his remarks.
24-0478 AGENDA ITEM 5 Declaration of canvass of recount vote for the recount of the County Commission, District 4 Republican race (demanded by candidate Mark A. Lawson), and the recount of the School Board Trustee, District G At-Large race (demanded by candidate Paul D. White). Pursuant to NRS 293.387 and NAC 293.365, the Board is required to canvass the results of the recount, by which any errors within the election results are officially noted and the official results are declared. If approved, the Board shall order the Registrar of Voters to certify the abstract of the results and transmit a copy of the certified abstract to the Secretary of State. Voters. (All Commission Districts.)
Interim Registrar of Voters (ROV) Cari-Ann Burgess said her office started the recount on June 30, 2024, at 7:00 a.m. and finished on the evening of July 9, 2024. She remarked that a team of 36 staff members started the recount. She noted that the demand for the recount was given to her office on June 25, 2024. During her initial preparations, she was optimistic that staff could complete it in one day but did not account for how long it would take to rescan 50,000 ballots. She asserted that staff re-looked at every portion of the election, including the rejected bin and why those ballots were rejected; post-marked ballots that came in after the election but were post-marked for Election Day; and ballots
that could have been cured, but were not, despite staff doing more than their due diligence by sending a letter and calling or emailing people who needed to cure their ballot. She pointed out that there was a two-vote difference where one candidate received one extra vote, and the other had a vote taken away. She stated that the change came from the adjudication process, which happened if the scanner rejected a ballot. She declared that two people from separate parties would look at the ballot and try to determine voter intent. She mentioned that less than 2,000 ballots needed to be adjudicated during the election.
On the call for public comment, Mr. Drew Ribar declared that he planned to file a lawsuit against the County, but the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) could stop it. He thought transparency would fix election issues. He pointed out that Commissioner Andriola was the swing vote because he was pretty sure how the other Board members would vote. He alleged that Chair Hill and Commissioner Garcia were members of the uni party and did not want election transparency because it would not benefit them. He claimed that Washoe County’s integrity was being questioned nationally and believed people could not trust the system. He spoke about allegations against County Manager Eric Brown, and Chair Hill interjected to ask Mr. Ribar not to attack County staff. Mr. Ribar said that according to Article 1, Section 9 of the Nevada Constitution, he was allowed to comment however he chose. Due to a lack of decorum during Mr. Ribar’s comment, Chair Hill called a recess.
12:12 p.m. The Board recessed.
12:32 p.m. The Board reconvened.
Chair Hill said that Mr. Ribar was welcome to finish his public comment. She reminded the community that, per State law, people could not disrupt the meeting. If they did, the Board could ask them to leave. She declared profanity and personal attacks would not be tolerated during comments.
Mr. Ribar stated that the Nevada Constitution, Article 1, Section 9, said no law should be made to restrict or repress freedom of speech or press and asked if Chair Hill had ever read the Nevada Constitution. He wondered if the Board knew what Nevada Constitution Article 1, Section 18 said. He pointed out that Lyon County had declined to canvass its election. He alleged that United States Senator Bernie Sanders was an election denier and that former US Secretary of State (SOS) Hillary Clinton and former US Vice President (VP) Al Gore had questioned the 2020 Democratic Primary. He urged the Board to vote no on the item.
Ms. Lynda Bell asked the Commissioners to carefully consider the ramifications of their decision, as it would have far-reaching consequences for future generations. She thought the Board should hold a new primary election to ensure accuracy and rebuild people’s confidence in the elections.
Ms. Briana Foroszowsky provided a document that was distributed to the Board and placed on file with the Clerk. She said that she observed the central processing
facility during the 2022 election, the 2024 Primary Election, and on June 30, 2024, for the recount. She noticed a lack of consistency, lack of security, and a lack of transparency. She declared that she submitted an election integrity violation report on May 30, 2024, which detailed that on May 28, 2024, while the election was in process, she saw an ROV employee remove a thumb drive from a computer in the tabulation room and walk out of the room. She noted that the tabulation room did not have security or live stream cameras. She asked the Board to read her report before it voted on the recount and speculated that the issue could justify people’s requests to start the election over from scratch. She stated that the computer in the tabulation room was connected to Washoe County’s network and wondered if there was proof that the network was secure. She asserted it was the Board’s responsibility to review the election and recount with a closer eye. She remarked she requested that the tabulation room be broadcast to the live feed but was denied by the ROV. She recalled a recent conversation she had with Commissioner Andriola, and she believed Commissioner Andriola understood her motivation to observe and learn about the election process. She claimed she had much more to discuss and welcomed Board members to call her.
Ms. Val White thought the entire primary election needed to be redone because there were too many opportunities for fraud. She wondered why observers could not see when the ballots were sealed in boxes and asked how people could know the ballots were ever secured. She recalled that she asked who had the keys to the cage where the ballots were kept and was told that a few staff members had keys, but she was not given any names. She pointed out that cameras were not installed in the cyber secure environment, which was the most important room for the entire election system. When she requested that a camera be installed in the room, Ms. Burgess refused because it was cost- prohibitive. Ms. White asked staff to relocate one of the cameras already in use, and she was told no. She stated that she wondered if the lights in the ballot processing room could be kept on overnight and was told no. She noted that election workers wore badges to identify their political party while in the processing room and declared there were only about five Republicans in the group. She alleged that non-partisans were Democrats, so when Ms. Burgess claimed there were bipartisan teams that participated in adjudication and duplication, that was a lie. She said she was sick of hearing about threats and wanted to see evidence.
Mr. Donald Fossum displayed a document that was placed on file with the Clerk. He spoke about boots on the ground regarding election integrity and displayed his shoes on the overhead. He said that the press called the elections early, which suggested false validation through repetition. He stated that he disliked repetition, but it worked, and he could weaponize it courtesy of Operation Sunlight. He discussed the reports submitted by Mr. Robert Beadles and claimed they provided evidence of election manipulation.
Ms. Renee Rezentes stated she dropped off her mail-in ballot, but when she looked online, it was marked as mailed in. She thought the County was gathering evidence to bring to the Board to try and make elections exclusively by mail. She believed there
should be a way to differentiate if someone dropped off their mail-in ballot. She asked the Board to redo the primary election.
Mr. Charles Elliott opined that the County’s leadership was inept. He expressed dismay about the content taught to children in Washoe County schools. He did not think people expected an accurate election and remarked that Mr. Beadles had been fighting for election integrity for years. He asked the Board to take charge and make the County better.
Mr. Bruce Foster remarked that he had a family member who fought in the Revolutionary War. He opined that the community was at a crossroads, and there were similar considerations at a national level. He asked the Board not to certify the election. He stated that he learned a lot as a precinct captain and from being in charge of a polling location for the presidential caucus. He noticed how well the caucus volunteers could count nearly 800 votes in 2.5 hours with driver’s licenses, paper ballots, and hand counting. He did not understand why the same could not happen with the primary election. He quoted Mr. Mark Twain and said that politicians and diapers must be changed often and for the same reason. He thought the Board was so corrupt that it caused people to be apathetic towards elections.
Mr. James Benthin pointed out that the language in the agenda item said if approved and he urged the Board to use due diligence in its decision. He declared that he did not trust the election or the recount. He thought the Board had the opportunity to do better and did not need to wait for the Legislature or the next election. He asked the Board to respect the law. He remarked there were several errors in the election. He mentioned bank withdrawals, a machine that was used to detect counterfeit money, and then tellers counting money out to him so he knew how much money he should get. He noted that corporations and the US government had been hacked before and wondered what prevented the County’s machines from being hacked. He claimed that the US government had failed. He was happy that someone commented that people should not trust artificial intelligence (AI) and opined that the Board had an opportunity to outperform AI. He appreciated Commissioner Clark’s comments about the voter rolls. He stated evil could be tacted by mathematics times critical thinking, squared. He believed people should applaud Mr. Beadles for what he was doing. He asked the Board to call for a hand recount.
Ms. Cindy Martinez expressed her support for the vote certification. She opined that some people, herself included, feared their vote would be disenfranchised. She applauded those who expressed their concerns and asked for the Board’s discernment in evaluating the information. She remarked that she was a retired Category 1 Peace Officer who served as an enforcement agent with the Nevada Gaming Control Board Enforcement Division. Her responsibilities as a sworn peace officer were to protect the liberties of the citizenry and to enforce regulations and criminal statutes. She said there were times when she successfully arrested and prosecuted people who violated the law, and other times when she could not establish probable cause. She believed that the standard of asking Commissioners to review midnight blogs and mainstream media reviews and make decisions based on subjective information presented for consumption was not the basis
upon which legal decisions could be rendered. She asserted that the Board needed to interpret the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) and the regulations to apply them and decide whether it supported their agenda, biases, beliefs, or preferred outcomes. She thought the place to change election statutes was in Carson City at the Legislature, which convened in February of 2025. She claimed plenty of election candidates reflected people’s political biases or preferences. Those were the people that the community should be engaged with and talking to about concerns with election statutes. She spoke about enforced standards by which legal decisions could be rendered.
Mr. Cliff Nellis pointed out that Ms. Lily Baran was harassed by people on the political left, and he alleged they did so because a hand count would reveal fraud. He claimed that the system was manipulated and did not represent all the citizens of Washoe County. He noted that one-third of Nevada's population were Democrats, but they controlled two-thirds of the seats in the Legislature. He asked the Board to throw the people a bone. He mentioned the 25,000 ballots returned to the ROV and wondered how many votes were submitted illegally. He speculated that the belief system of the political left was that the ends justified the means, so they would lie, cheat, and steal to get whatever they wanted. He stated the political left did not act in the same manner because they had a conscience and would be arrested if they got caught. He thought Ms. Baran’s race should have been automatically recounted. He opined there were a lot of volunteers who would help with a recount. He asserted that the Board should call for an election redo because the whole election was incompetent. He believed the County needed a new ROV and County Manager.
Ms. Marie Rodriguez spoke about the First Amendment and emphasized the importance of orderly conduct during public meetings. She cited requirements outlined in Assembly Bill (AB) 59 and the NRS regarding the maintenance of order and peaceable conduct. She expressed support for the recount certification.
Mr. Bob Blackstock detailed his childhood home life and his experience working in the oil drilling industry. He shared his love for America and his belief in democracy. He thought equality did not come for free and that tearing something down was easier than building it up. He expressed confidence in the election results and opined that they accurately reflected the will of the Washoe County citizens. He thanked Ms. Burgess for her hard work. He noted several people in the audience wanted the Board to certify the election results and asked those people to stand.
Ms. Kelly Stevens recalled comments from Ms. Martinez and Mr. Miller, who believed nothing was wrong with the elections, which she disagreed with. She declared that she was a poll observer during all three days of the recount and was filmed by the Board’s campaign manager. She thought that individual was on the County’s payroll and worked for an organization connected to the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) to advocate for allowing undocumented immigrants to vote. She mentioned Commissioner Andriola’s comments about legislation and did not think that plan would work. She claimed that Mr. Miller did not witness any issues with the election because he spent most of his time in the hallway talking to the media during the recount. She asserted that Ms. Burgess
did not spend much time in the processing center and Elections Specialist Addison Vetter was running things. She stated that on the third day of the recount, the ROV had a skeleton crew, and the ballot machines were not working. She alleged that ballots were left unattended, which she did not consider acceptable.
Ms. Victoria Myer disagreed that the Board had to go to the Legislature to enact change. She stated that the Board needed to vote on the item, and they could vote yes or no. She wondered if there was a law mandating that the Board must vote to certify the election. She pointed out that Mr. Beadles paid for three recounts, and she asked why the County refused a hand recount and what the Commissioners were afraid of. She asserted that election certification referred to an attestation from election officials that the tabulation and a canvass of the election were complete and accurate, and the election results were a true and accurate account of all votes cast. She mentioned previous comments that claimed someone went into the ballot tabulation room with a thumb drive. She encouraged the BCC to vote no on the certification and call for a hand recount. She noted that people had been going before the Board for years, and she did not know if the Commissioners even cared about what people said. She thought the Country was being pushed in a direction that Americans did not want.
Ms. Sherry Powell expressed concern about unsanitary conditions at the podium, which she stated were caused by a prior commenter placing shoes on it and then handling the microphone. She noted that the governor created an election integrity commission, and a couple of individuals from the County were on it. She recalled that when her son was being deployed to Afghanistan, he and 592 other soldiers did not get the opportunity to vote. She remarked that she went to former Governor Brian Sandoval about the issue because she believed that soldiers had earned the right to vote more than anyone. She said former Governor Sandoval sent his Administrative Assistant, Ms. Heidi Gansert, to remedy the issue. Ms. Powell declared that former Governor Sandoval did not need to go through the Legislature to fix the problem; he just did it.
Ms. Penny Brock asserted that she came before the Board at nearly every meeting. She remarked that her ancestors fought in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. She declared that her husband was in the Air Force and passed away from exposure to ionizing radiation during his time in the service. She opined that Washoe County had a selection, not an election because those in power selected who won, which she thought was wrong. She stated that the Heritage Foundation ranked Nevada number 50 in the nation for elections. She noted that in January 2024, a national media source printed an article that indicated it planned to monitor the six counties in America that it claimed would determine the outcome of the national election, Washoe County being one of them. She said the media source reported that Washoe County was the most swing county on the list. She asked the Board not to certify the election because she believed it might restore confidence and give hope to the voters of Washoe County.
Mr. Beadles remarked that there was much discussion about the 25,000 ballots that were returned to the ROV. He noted that 330,000 ballots were sent out and only 80,000 votes were cast, which he thought should concern the Board. He agreed that the
Board needed legislation to change certain things like voter identification requirements; however, the Board could choose to use hand counting at the precincts or paper ballots. He declared that the statutes to back up his comments were listed on Operation Sunlight. He mentioned the two reports he submitted to the Board during his first public comment. He acknowledged that many people mocked Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT) but pointed out that it was a widely used application. He asserted that he also gave the election data he collected to some of the smartest mathematicians in the world, who determined that the election was fraudulent because there was no way the results could happen in the manner they did. He claimed the mathematicians resolved that the election was a 13.4 sigma event. He explained that a Five Sigma event was how experts discovered the God particle, which had a 1 in 3.5 million chance of occurrence. He stated that the probability of a 13.4 sigma event was equivalent to the chances of finding one atom in one hundred quadrillion glasses of water. He said that NRS 293.387 did not require the Board to vote yes; it only mandated that the Board meet, canvass, and discuss the vote. He believed that the Board had a duty to investigate his claims.
Ms. Pam Darr knew that many people worked hard on the elections and thought everyone had the right to vote. She remarked that she was a poll worker and tried to make the experience as pleasant for voters as possible. She claimed the Country was falling apart. She spoke about unclean voter rolls and alleged it signaled that the ROV was not doing its job. She believed that people wanted to feel confident in the elections. She declared that the ROV staff was great to work with during her poll worker training. She asked the Board to do better.
Vice Chair Herman thanked constituents for attending the meeting and sharing their thoughts about the election. She remarked that she had a record of not approving the elections because one of the main reasons she became a Commissioner was due to her unhappiness with how the elections were run.
Commissioner Clark said that in the past, he wanted to make a presentation to the County with a thumb drive, but the County's head of Information Technology (IT) would not let him use it. He learned that it was forbidden for anyone from the public to use a thumb drive in the Commission Chambers. He thought it was odd that the same rule did not apply in the ROV. He remarked that there was a video of someone plugging a thumb drive into an election machine. He mentioned the election integrity violation report handed in during the meeting. He noted several comments from the public about issues with the election. He believed the people who commented in favor of the canvass discussed their feelings about the election and wondered if they had any personal knowledge or facts to support their claims. He stated effective and accurate elections could not be conducted without clean voter rolls. He opined that nothing would change until the County had different leadership.
Chair Hill asked Assistant District Attorney (ADA) Nathan Edwards to clarify the Canvass of the Vote. ADA Edwards said that per NRS 293.387, the Canvass of the Vote was a statutory duty of the Board. He noted several comments about whether the canvass was ministerial or discretionary and believed the statute contained elements of
both. He opined that the Board had a duty to canvass the vote and decide the election results based on the evidence presented to the Board. The BCC did not have a duty to vote yes or no on a particular motion; they voted their conscience, a practice he thought the Commissioners should apply to their vote on the canvass.
Commissioner Andriola asked what would happen if the Board decided not to certify. ADA Edwards replied that the outcome would be somewhat uncharted water. He remarked that the Board had a duty to canvass the vote on the tenth day following the election. After the vote was canvassed, the election results were sent to the SOS, which would take the abstract from the certification and send it to the County Clerk. The County Clerk would then issue certificates of the election. If the Board chose not to certify the election, he anticipated that the SOS would note that there was no action by the BCC and would make its own decision based on the information in the record. If the SOS chose not to act, he assumed that one of the candidates would file a petition with the district court to request a writ of mandate, which would order the certificates of the election to be issued. He said he was unsure of the exact path if the Board voted against certification, but he thought the SOS would likely step in and act where the BCC did not.
Commissioner Andriola asked if requesting a hand count was a legal option for the Board to exercise. ADA Edwards remarked that while hand counts were allowed, an onerous regulation required the Board to make that request before the election. Once the election was complete using a mechanized counting process, the recount had to be done in the same manner that it was tabulated during the original vote. He declared that the Board was not allowed to change courses and move to a different counting method for the recount. Commissioner Andriola confirmed that a request for a hand recount was not viable. ADA Edwards responded that the District Attorney’s (DA) Office had researched the issue quite a bit. He noted there was active litigation about whether recounts needed to be done in the same manner as the original election. He asserted that until a court said otherwise, recounts needed to be carried out in the same manner as the original election.
Commissioner Andriola recalled ADA Edwards’s comment about the Board voting its conscience. She asked ADA Edwards if he was aware of any investigative components to the information presented to the Board by constituents. ADA Edwards responded that when the Board made decisions, the court typically said that the Board needed to rely on substantial evidence in the record. He stated that the Nevada Supreme Court defined substantial evidence as facts and evidence that a reasonable mind would accept to support a conclusion. He noted the Board needed to decide whether the information it received was information that a reasonable mind would accept as adequate to support a conclusion. Commissioner Andriola declared the ROV had a compliance responsibility to ensure everything was in place for elections. She asked if her understanding was correct that the ROV had certified that the legal requirements for elections were adhered to. ADA Edwards replied that was his interpretation of Ms. Burgess’s statement at the podium. Commissioner Andriola asked if there was anything to substantiate the information provided to the Board by the public, to which ADA Edwards responded that it was for the Board to decide.
Commissioner Garcia agreed with Vice Chair Herman’s comments and expressed her gratitude to the community, County staff, poll volunteers, and the candidates who had the courage to put their names on the ballot. She noted the volume of work executed by County staff during elections.
ADA Edwards addressed the multiple calls to the DA’s Office that requested a recusal from Chair Hill and Commissioner Andriola because they were on the ballot. He opined that they did not need to recuse themselves. He understood the arguments and points made by the public. He stated that the competing interests policy was covered by NRS Chapter 281A, and he highlighted that there was evidence of intent by the Legislature that officials carry out the duties they were elected to carry out. He said that facet was the core of a republic form of government. He thought that policy outweighed other countervailing policies. He added that Chapter 293 had a provision about the counting board, which the ROV created after a recount was requested. At times, Commissioners could sit on that board. He clarified that neither Chair Hill nor Commissioner Andriola sat on the counting board for this recount. He asserted that if a Commissioner was on a ballot, they could not sit on the counting board. He remarked there was a concept in law school called expression unius est exclusio alterius, meaning the expression of one thing implies the exclusion of things that are not expressed. He explained it meant that when the Legislature wanted to say that a Commissioner running for office could not participate in a particular election process, they knew how to say it, and they would say it. He declared that the Legislature did not say that a Commissioner running for office needed to recuse themselves from canvassing the vote.
Commissioner Andriola appreciated ADA Edwards’s clarification. She acknowledged Ms. Burgess, her staff, and everyone who worked hard to administer the elections. She opined a lot of information shared with the Board warranted further investigation. She declared that she was not an election denier, but in consideration of the allegations brought forth by the public, she would not vote to certify the election. She said she based her vote on the community's ongoing concerns and ADA Edwards’s advice to vote her conscience. She reiterated that there were election procedures that could only be changed at the Legislature. She thought voting not to certify the election would allow the Board time to research the public’s concerns and help bring back some trust in the election process. She encouraged the community to direct their energy towards changes in the Legislature.
Commissioner Garcia moved, seconded by Chair Hill to approve the Canvass of the Recount Vote. The motion failed on a 2-3 vote with Vice Chair Herman, and Commissioners Clark and Andriola voting no.
ADA Edwards stated since the vote failed, the preference in the rules of procedure and Open Meeting Law (OML) was for there to be an affirmative vote, so those who voted no on the previous motion needed to make a new motion.
On motion by Commissioner Andriola, seconded by Commissioner Clark, which motion duly carried on a 3-2 vote, with Chair Hill and Commissioner Garcia voting
no, it was ordered that the Declaration of the Canvass of the Recount Vote for the recount of the County Commission, District 4 Republican race (demanded by candidate Mark A. Lawson), and the recount of the School Board Trustee, District G At-Large race (demanded by candidate Paul D. White) not be approved.
24-0479 AGENDA ITEM 6 Public Comment.
Ms. Sherrell Collins recalled a commenter who claimed that Democrats were election deniers in 2016. She spoke about the George W. Bush versus Al Gore election and said that the governor of Florida went to the Supreme Court to try to stop the vote count that year. She remarked that former President Bill Clinton allowed for a peaceful transfer of power when he left office because that was best for the Country. She thought the same thing had not happened with the 2020 election. She asserted there was a course of action if someone believed something was wrong. She noted that former President Donald Trump had filed court cases that were denied, but that was not enough for him, and he asked former Vice President (VP) Mike Pence not to certify the election. She opined that former VP Pence did his job and certified the 2020 election because the Constitution ordered him to do that. She stated that former President Trump alleged that he won the election and caused the January 6, 2021, events. She mentioned that she was a veteran who swore an oath to defend the Country against foreign and domestic enemies and to protect the Constitution. She declared that she would have laid down her life for the Country.
Ms. Susan Van Ness believed that the Commissioners' suggestions to wait for the Legislature to pass election laws were bait and switch. She claimed counties had a certain degree of autonomy and Washoe County did not need the State’s permission to perform a recount. She alleged that the implication that the Legislature operated from a command-and-control position was de facto communism. She declared that the Country operated under a legal system where what was not implicitly denied was allowed, and not what was not allowed was implicitly denied. She thought it could be argued that a recount by hand conducted without the State’s position would be an unofficial result; however, if doing a recount by hand was in the best interest of Washoe County and its residents, then a recount should be done by hand. She said people should ask themselves if a hand count was in the County's best interest. She felt it was because the perception of free and fair elections was nearly as important as having truly transparent, free, and fair elections. She asserted that the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) did not need to ask the State for permission to be transparent, and to imply otherwise would mean that the Board was fully aware that it was not being forthcoming.
Ms. Marie Rodriguez spoke about political ads and campaigns that she thought were mean. She declared that elections were important to her because as she got older, those in power might make decisions about her life when she could no longer make them. She thanked Commissioner Clark for his encouragement to continue applying for other boards when she was not selected to sit on the Reno Tahoe Airport Authority (RTAA) Board. She appreciated Commissioner Andriola’s questions during the canvass process and for her advice that people solicit the Legislature to enact more changes. She opined that
automatic recounts for a close race were a good idea. She believed the Board should not endure misbehavior, profanity, or angry outbursts from the public.
Ms. Cindy Martinez declared that the business of self-governance in a representative democracy was not solely the responsibility of the people entrusted with governance. She asserted that she had a responsibility, as a citizen, to ensure that her participation and representation in elections were preserved and intact. In the 30 years that she had been a Washoe County voter, she claimed that she never had a problem with her ballot, sample ballot, voter registration, or the reflection of how her vote was recorded. She spoke about the 25,000 ballots returned to the Registrar of Voters (ROV). She remarked that she visited the ROV’s Office and noted that the returned ballots were sealed, segregated, and secured, which led her to believe that the process to remove inactive voters from the system was operational. She recalled a commenter who stated that 330,000 ballots were mailed, but only 80,000 votes were recorded. She mentioned that some commenters asked what happened to the rest of the ballots. She thought those people chose not to vote. She discussed the process that she and her father took to remove her deceased mother from the voter rolls. She encouraged citizens to take the initiative to protect their voting rights and adequately manage their voter registration.
Ms. Robin Lovelace spoke about elections in Argentina, which utilized paper ballots and hand counting. She declared that she was a volunteer during the 2024 Republican Caucus. She remarked that they used hand counting and paper ballots for the caucus and still provided the results two hours after the close of the vote. She said she had worked as an election worker and observer and felt that the ROV’s Office supported both roles. She stated that she worked at the North Valleys Library polling location, and nearly 1,000 people voted there. She recalled that when the ballots were picked up, the collection team consisted of a County employee, a Republican, and a Democrat. She suggested changing the ballot counting process to help with election integrity.
Mr. Stewart Hande expressed frustration with the Board members and wondered why they were still Commissioners. He declared that he had been before the BCC several times to discuss human trafficking, which he claimed the Board had done nothing to combat. He remarked that he was a retired law enforcement officer. He alleged that the BCC helped cover up the homicide of Ms. Susan Hillygus because they refused to hire someone to investigate her passing. He opined that the Board members were not doing a good job and should resign.
Ms. Pam Darr appreciated Commissioner Clark’s suggestion that all candidates approve the sample ballot before printing occurred. She expressed concern about immigrants being registered to vote because she thought only Americans should decide the outcome of elections. She acknowledged that many election changes had to be addressed by the Legislature but believed there were some actions the Board could take on its own. She declared that she volunteered during elections and asserted people had one thing in common regardless of political affiliation; they loved their Country. She opined that people needed to work together to create better solutions for the community. She remarked that she discussed election transparency with the Secretary of State’s (SOS)
Office because the fishbowl and cameras in the ROV’s Office did not allow observers to see much. She suggested that people sign an agreement to follow a certain decorum while observing elections. She did not think there were nefarious actions surrounding elections but claimed there were issues created by the procedures in place that caused people to be mistrustful.
Ms. Victoria Myer hoped the Board could move forward with more initiatives to make future elections more transparent. She discussed the Library Board of Trustees (LBT) and opined the board should have members from all five districts. She declared that she tracked how the Board members voted on LBT members. She spoke about the drag queen story hour (DQSH) and claimed that the media inflated the attendance reports of the event. She asserted that during the last event, her granddaughter was at the library and got sick with a fever but could not get outside to her grandfather because the doors were locked, which Ms. Myer thought was unacceptable. She believed that the LBT needed new members.
Mr. Robert Beadles thanked Vice Chair Herman, Commissioner Clark, and Commissioner Andriola for their votes on the canvass. He thought allowing the courts to rule how recounts should be carried out was a good idea. He spoke about the voter rolls and the number of ballots sent out versus the number of votes cast. He claimed there were around 43,000 people who could be removed from the ROV’s rolls. He remarked that he compared the tax records with the voter records and created a list of the people who should be removed from the voter rolls. He declared that he gave that list to a previous ROV, but nothing was done to clean the rolls.
Mr. Donald Fossum expressed gratitude that the Board voted not to certify the election and opined that it would help the County avoid being ranked last in the Nation when it came to elections. He believed the Board’s vote would refresh the spirits of the public.
Ms. Sherry Powell said she was a member of the Crow Tribe and remarked that no race had been more discriminated against than Native Americans. She appreciated Commissioner Andriola’s comments and research regarding elections. She did not believe that a reasonable person was an appropriate measure of facts because facts were tangible things. She hoped the Board would exercise similar judicial discretion as in 2010 when a judge's ethics were called into question about whether elections influenced their decisions. She recalled it was determined that as long as the judge felt they could still make a reasonable decision, elections did not affect their duties as judges. She suggested the Board look up the definition of facts in the Black’s Law Dictionary.
Ms. Renee Rezentes discussed a book she read that claimed America was a feminine nation and there was always a masculine nation waiting to take over. She declared that Ancient Rome was a feminine nation that became so engrossed with pleasures that people stopped paying attention. She thought America was in a similar situation and that people should be careful because the Country could be taken down. She spoke about the LGBTQ+ agenda and asserted that the United States (US) needed men. She said the
feminist agenda wanted to prove that women were better than men, but she believed that ideology failed because people needed men to protect them. She stated people should be wary because Ancient Rome and other countries fell because of their activities.
24-0480 AGENDA ITEM 7 Announcements/Reports.
Commissioner Clark clarified that when he asked people to share their personal knowledge, he referred to any impropriety in the Registrar of Voters’s (ROV) Office. He said that when he discussed the 25,000 ballots that were returned, he did not suggest anything nefarious occurred; he was concerned about fiscal responsibility. He declared that it cost the taxpayers money to send out ballots that did not reach the correct destination. He thought it was the duty of the Office of the County Manager (OCM) and the ROV to clean up the rolls to save the taxpayers money. He asked about the validity of a public comment that claimed Mr. Riley Sutton, who managed political campaigns, was allowed access to the ROV’s Office to film during the counting process and if the County employed him. Commissioner Clark was concerned about whether those claims were true because he did not want political operatives to be allowed in the ROV Office. He thanked Commissioner Andriola for her leadership and for standing up for the people. He wondered if the Board’s vote not to approve the election was the start of gaining trust back with the citizens and moving towards free and clean elections.
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2:30 p.m. There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned without objection.
ALEXIS HILL, Chair
Washoe County Commission
ATTEST:
JANIS GALASSINI, County Clerk and Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners
Minutes Prepared by:
Taylor Chambers, Deputy County Clerk