Lombardo Tells Donors No Place Is Easier to Vote Than Nevada, Then Adds 'Unfortunately'

What happened

Gov. Joe Lombardo urged supporters at an October fundraiser to push friends and family to vote, then added a remark that cast doubt on how Nevada runs its elections, according to audio obtained by Nevada Current. Lombardo, a Republican, is seeking a second term against Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford.

Nevada Current described the moment as an example of Republican candidates encouraging turnout while echoing party claims that elections are not secure. Lombardo's campaign did not respond to the outlet's requests for comment on what he meant.

What Lombardo said about mail ballots

The fundraiser remarks

In the recording, Lombardo told supporters to convince anyone who had not yet voted. "There's no place easier to vote in the nation than Nevada. Unfortunately," he said, according to Nevada Current, which reported the last word drew laughter from the crowd.

He then walked through the calendar, saying early voting started on the 17th and in-person voting was on the third. "Then you can put your mail ballot in five days after the fact," he said. Nevada Current reported that supporters roared at the suggestion that mail ballots are suspect, and Lombardo followed by saying there is "no excuse" not to vote.

The mail ballot deadline dispute

Nevada Current reported that Lombardo objects to a 2024 Nevada Supreme Court ruling that allows unpostmarked ballots to be counted for three days after the election. Legislation the governor backed in 2023 would have required mail ballots to arrive by the time polls close on Election Day, rather than 5 p.m. four days after the election, regardless of postmark date.

Lombardo's record on election rules

Mail voting and voter ID

According to Nevada Current, lawmakers in 2023 declined to take up the governor's proposal to undo universal mail balloting. In 2025, Lombardo vetoed a voter identification bill he had initially supported because mailed ballots would still have been verified through signature matching.

This November, Nevada voters will decide for the second time on a Lombardo-supported voter identification ballot measure that would amend the state constitution. Nevada Current wrote that voters are expected to approve it.

Ties to election deniers

Nevada Current reported that Lombardo vetoed measures in 2023 and 2025 that would have imposed prison terms on fake electors. When he filed for reelection in March, his supporters included Nevada Republican Party Chairman Michael McDonald, one of the six fake electors who sent bogus electoral college certificates to Congress after Trump lost Nevada in 2020. Last week, Lombardo campaigned with Joey Gilbert, whom the outlet described as an election denier.

The national backdrop

Federal claims about Nevada voter rolls

In July, the Department of Homeland Security asserted that Nevada may have as many as 15,903 "non-citizens" registered to vote, a number the government later reduced to 185, Nevada Current reported. The state says there is no proof any are undocumented. Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar said in July that the president had spent years "attempting to manufacture a crisis around voting when there is none."

Nevada Current also noted that the Trump-endorsed SAVE Act, which would create a national voter ID requirement, is stalled in Congress, and that last month the Supreme Court blocked an executive order prohibiting mail-in voting.

Voter confidence research

Nevada Current cited University of Richmond visiting assistant professor Christopher Miller, who wrote that only 65% of Republicans, 64% of Democrats and 57% of independents are very or somewhat confident the 2026 vote count will be reliable. Miller wrote that it is not clear which Americans are most likely to stay home in November.

Early voting so far

As of Wednesday afternoon, 16 million Americans had cast early ballots, according to NBC News figures cited by Nevada Current. In Nevada, Democrats held a slight lead over Republicans and others. More coverage of the governor's race is on our elections page.

What to watch next

• Early voting in Nevada ends Friday, October 30.
• Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, with Lombardo facing Aaron Ford for governor.
• Voters will decide the Lombardo-supported voter ID constitutional amendment on the November ballot.
• The SAVE Act national voter ID bill remains stalled in Congress.