OVER 140,000 voters headed to the polls in the first five days of early voting in Clark County.
From Saturday, October 17 to Wednesday, October 21, 140,501 ballots were cast across 48 in-person voting locations, according to figures released by the Clark County Election Department on Thursday morning.
The sites that have been the busiest include Centennial Center, Downtown Summerlin, Galleria at Sunset in Henderson, and Silverado Ranch Plaza.
Following COVID-19 safety measures, masks and social distancing are required at all polling stations and voting machines are sanitized after use.
To further prevent the spread of the virus, all active and registered voters in Nevada were automatically mailed ballots in early October. More than 1.2 million Clark County residents received their mail-in ballots, which can be returned through the U.S. Postal Service or by dropping them off at an early voting site or Election Day voting center.
As of Wednesday, 107,966 returned ballots from county voters were accepted for counting, based on figures from the Office of the Nevada Secretary of State. Statewide, 197,541 mail-in ballots have been sent in.
Early in-person voting continues until October 30. On Election Day, November 3, 125 voting centers will be opened in the county.
In addition to the presidential, statewide and local races, five ballot questions appear on the Nevada ballot this year.
Question 2 is an amendment to the state constitution to remove language that says marriage is only between a male and female and to recognize “marriages of and issue marriage licenses to couples, regardless of gender.” Meanwhile, it also allows religious organizations and clergy members to “refuse to perform a marriage.” Another question revolves around a new section guaranteeing specific voting rights to registered voters in the state constitution.
Countdown to Election Day
Local Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations and Filipino American community members are continuing the final push with less than two weeks to go until Election Day.
On Monday, October 19, the Nevada State Democratic Party held a virtual AAPI get-out-the-vote rally, urging registered voters to avail of the mail-in or early voting options.
“We vote because we know it makes a difference. Just look at the progress Nevada has been able to achieve in the two years my husband has been governor. But we also vote because we have the chance to elect people who share the same life experiences and values,” said Nevada First Lady Kathy Sisolak.
| Photo courtesy of Clark County/Facebook
Virtual events, as well as phone and text banking efforts, will continue in the final days. One of the upcoming events to tap Fil-Am millennial and Gen-Z voters is a virtual GOTV concert with rapper Ruby Ibarra on October 28 hosted by AAPI Democratic Caucus of Nevada, along with the Pilipino Los Angeles Democrats, KAYA: Filipino Americans for Progress, and the national Fil-Ams for Biden-Harris affinity group.
“We need to bring that same energy to the voting booth. Election Day is just around the corner so please make a plan to vote. We owe it to our ancestors who paved the way for the privileges and rights that we experience today,” said Dan Santos, chair of the AAPI Democratic Caucus.
Meanwhile, on Friday, a group of Fil-Am supporters of President Donald Trump in Nevada and other swing states came together for an event in Las Vegas to double down on their endorsement for a second term.
As Fil-Am voters make their plans to vote, several resources in English and Tagalog are available should they require assistance or need to report any voting rights concerns.
The state Democratic Party recently unveiled a Tagalog voter protection hotline, as previously reported by the Asian Journal. By calling the hotline at 888-525-VOTE (8683), Fil-Am voters can be connected to a volunteer in English or Tagalog to ask questions about how to register to vote before the deadline, locating a polling place, or where to drop off their vote-by-mail ballot.
The National Filipino American Lawyers Association also launched its non-partisan Voter Protection Program comprised of attorneys who available to answer questions via phone, email, or text from voters in Nevada, Arizona and California. For Nevada, the resource is available Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. PST by calling or texting (702) 900-3937 or by emailing [email protected].
