Hundreds of Trained Nonpartisan Observers Are Watching Nevada Polling Sites on Election Day

What happened

Hundreds of people in neon-colored vests are quietly watching polling sites across Nevada on Tuesday, according to the Las Vegas Sun. They belong to the Nevada Election Observation Network, or NEON, a new nonpartisan group that trains election observers.

Observers in purple shirts from 866-OUR-VOTE, a voting rights coalition, will also be at polling places. The Sun reported that the number of people observing Nevada's election is unprecedented. That comes as the administration of President Donald Trump has declined to rule out sending federal agents to the polls and has tried to change election procedures.

Who the observers are

The Nevada Election Observation Network

NEON was founded in 2026 with funding from the Carter Center, the Sun reported. The Atlanta-based nonprofit was founded by former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, and has monitored more than 100 elections in 40 countries since 1989.

The Carter Center began observing parts of the U.S. election process in 2020, starting in Georgia and later in states including Michigan, Montana and New Mexico. Logan Gifford, NEON's deputy state director, told the Sun that the group trained 217 observers in Nevada this year.

Silver State Voices and 866-OUR-VOTE

Silver State Voices, a member of the 866-OUR-VOTE coalition, is an election observation group founded in 2012. According to the Sun, it plans to cover every polling site in the state, including 177 in Clark and Washoe counties. That is double its usual number.

What observers learn and the rules they follow

Rules of conduct

Luiza Benisano, NEON's regional coordinator for Northern Nevada, told the Sun that training covers rules of conduct. Observers may not distract or interfere with voters. They may not campaign, and they may not use their cellphones.

How the voting process works

Thomas Vargas, NEON's regional coordinator for Southern Nevada, told the Sun he learned how voting machines work and how they are checked. He also learned how voters are registered, which signs must be posted outside a polling site, and how bipartisan ballot review works if a problem comes up.

Vargas said that without that background, an observer could watch events without truly understanding them. He was at polling sites throughout early voting and told the Sun he watched mail ballot processing from start to finish. He also praised election workers for their effort to get things done correctly and on time.

Why the groups say transparency matters

Gifford told the Sun that he got involved to help strengthen trust in the election process. He said NEON will release the data its observers collect after the election. The Carter Center and its partners previously published reports on the 2024 elections in Montana, New Mexico and Fulton County, Georgia.

Benisano said she hopes that transparency will build trust and reduce the political tension voters are living through. She told the Sun she believes in democracy, wants to take part in it, and thinks everyone has a right to safe and fair elections.

For more on what is on the ballot, see our guide to Nevada's Election Day races and our report on early turnout before Election Day. Ongoing coverage is collected on our elections page.

What to watch next

• NEON says it will publicly release the data its 217 trained observers collect once the election is over.
• Silver State Voices plans to cover every Nevada polling site on Election Day, including 177 in Clark and Washoe counties.
• Any post-election report from NEON would follow Carter Center reports on 2024 elections in Montana, New Mexico and Fulton County, Georgia.