Starting in mid-May, Clark County election workers—paired in groups of different political affiliations, with each wearing a pin identifying them as Democrat, Republican, Independent or another minor party—were already hard at work at the county’s newly redesigned election headquarters, sifting through mail ballots a machine has flagged for verification. 

If a bipartisan team doesn’t agree that a signature matches previous records—or if no signature is present at all—the county will redirect the ballot through what’s known as the signature curing process, in which it will attempt to contact the voter to ensure the ballot wasn’t fraudulent. Political scientists have said this part of the voting process disproportionately affects young voters who were not taught to write in cursive. 

Officials recommend voters update their contact info at vote.nv.gov to ensure they can be reached for signature curing or for any issues that may arise with their ballot. The process can last up to six days after election day (June 15). As of press time, this has resulted in 1,230 ballots being reviewed and 327 cases resolved in Clark County. 

And while that’s just a small percentage of the total 111,196 mail ballots received statewide, Clark County Registrar of Voters Lorena Portillo says it’s one of many important components of the county’s ongoing effort to streamline its election procedures and bolster voter confidence in the process ahead of the June 9 primary.

“We’re always improving, always enhancing our equipment, making things more efficient, training our workers ahead of time and making sure they feel confident,” Portillo says. “We have a new intake room, the new sorter room, and just for the mail ballot readers alone, we had six working in the general election in 2024 and now we have eight.”

Another important alternative to voting on election day is early voting, which began May 23 and wraps up June 5. As of press time, more than 35,000 Clark County residents have taken advantage of this option across more than 75 locations throughout the Valley.

If you haven’t voted yet, officials advise dropping off your mail ballot at city clerk’s offices, the Clark County Election Department headquarters in North Las Vegas, or any official vote center. In-person voting also will be available on Election Day, June 9, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (See page 26 for a full list of locations.) You can also mail your ballot through the Postal Service; however, officials have advised mailing them by June 2. 

If you already sent your ballot through the mail, you can check its status through the county’s new public ballot tracking service (available at myballot.nv.gov.) Under Nevada law, election departments are required to process any ballots they receive without a postmark through June 12, while those with a postmark of June 9 or earlier will be accepted through June 13. 

But this policy could change before the November general election, pending an expected summer Supreme Court ruling on whether Nevada and 13 other states can continue counting mail ballots that arrive after election day. 

Another potential threat to voting accessibility comes through President Donald Trump’s March 31 executive order, which seeks to create federal citizenship lists to determine who can receive a ballot, directs the USPS to withhold ballots from those not listed, and threatens criminal prosecution for noncompliance. 

Neither will impact your vote on June 9, but Portillo says the county is ready to adapt to any new developments that could materialize prior to the November 3 general election. 

“We are in continuous conversations on what to do for the next election cycle. This is no different,” Portillo says.

As far as the primary is concerned, she likens its importance to the “semifinals” in sports, urging as many voters as possible to participate.

“You’re electing the candidate that’s going to represent your party in the general election. It’s very, very important—just as important as a general election,” Portillo says.

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