Clark County Mail Ballots Are Arriving: How to Return, Track and Fix Problems Before Election Day

What happened

Mail ballots for the November election are now arriving in Clark County, and in-person early voting is set to begin Saturday, the Las Vegas Sun reported. The ballots were scheduled to go out last week. According to the secretary of state's office, every active registered voter will get one unless they opted out.

Election officials are sharing guidance on how to make sure a ballot is counted, from signing the envelope correctly to tracking it after it is returned. For more coverage of the races on the ballot, see our elections section.

If your ballot has not arrived

The Sun reported that voters missing a ballot should first confirm their registration and address are current. State election officials say this can be done at VOTE.NV.gov. Anyone still without a ballot should call the Clark County Election Department at 702-455-VOTE.

A mail ballot is not required to vote. Residents can still vote in person during early voting or on Election Day.

Registration deadlines

Oct. 20 is the last day to register or update a registration and still receive a ballot by mail, according to the secretary of state's office. After that date, eligible residents can still register and vote in person. Registration is available online at VOTE.NV.gov or at any polling location during early voting, which runs Saturday through Oct. 30, and on Election Day, Nov. 3.

Returning and tracking your ballot

Voters must sign the line on the outside of the return envelope. Nevada law requires election workers to compare that signature with the ones on file to verify a voter's identity, the Sun reported.

Drop boxes and mail timing

Completed ballots can be left at any official drop box in the county or at any polling location, which avoids possible U.S. Postal Service delays, according to the secretary of state's office. Voters who choose to mail their ballot are advised by state officials to send it at least one week before Election Day.

Mailed ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by county election officials no later than Nov. 7. Ballots delivered by hand, and in-person votes, must be in before polls close at 7 p.m. on Election Day. Voters can sign up at MyBallot.NV.gov to get updates when their ballot is mailed out and when the county receives it.

Fixing a signature problem

A missing or mismatched signature does not mean a ballot is automatically thrown out. Officials will try to contact the voter so the issue can be resolved, a process called curing. The Sun reported that Clark County has reached out first by mail in past elections and has also used automated phone calls and emails, so voters should keep their phone number and email linked to their registration.

Voters can complete the cure process online at Cure.NV.gov or by contacting county election officials. The state also publishes Voter List and Ballot Status Reports on Vivid.NV.gov, and anyone whose entry shows a signature cure is needed should contact the county election office right away.

Federal challenges to mail voting

In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that sought to impose new federal requirements on state-run elections, including limits on mail ballots, the Sun reported. It directed the Postal Service to build lists of eligible voters and deliver mail ballots only to people on those lists.

Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar and Attorney General Aaron Ford won a federal court ruling in June blocking key parts of the order. Ford also co-led a challenge to new Postal Service mail ballot rules, and on Sept. 14 the U.S. Supreme Court declined to let those rules take effect for the November election. That leaves a lower-court order in place blocking the recipient-list and envelope-barcode requirements, so Nevada can keep its existing procedures. Aguilar called the ruling "a victory for voters across Nevada."

Aguilar has also written to every member of Nevada's congressional delegation, across party lines, asking them to send congressional observers to Postal Service facilities to help prevent disruptions in mail ballot processing. Other groups are also expanding poll watching ahead of the midterms.

What to watch next

• In-person early voting begins Saturday and runs through Oct. 30.
• Oct. 20 is the final day to register or update a registration to receive a ballot by mail.
• Election Day is Nov. 3, with polls closing at 7 p.m.; mailed ballots must arrive by Nov. 7.
• Whether members of Nevada's congressional delegation respond to Aguilar's request for observers at Postal Service facilities.