Hundreds of nonpartisan observers are watching Nevada polling places on Election Day as a new group, NEON, makes its debut

What happened

Hundreds of election observers wearing neon vests are standing silently at polling locations across Nevada on Election Day, the Las Vegas Sun reported. They are part of the Nevada Election Observation Network, or NEON, a new nonpartisan group that trains people to watch the voting process.

They are not the only observers at the polls. Observers in purple shirts from 866-OUR-VOTE, a voter rights coalition, are also present. According to the Sun, the number of people monitoring Nevada's election process is unprecedented. For an overview of the contests on the ballot, see our guide to Nevada Election Day races to watch.

Who is watching the polls

A new group backed by the Carter Center

NEON was established 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 center began observing parts of the U.S. election process in 2020, first in Georgia and later in states including Michigan, Montana and New Mexico. This year, NEON trained 217 observers in Nevada, according to Logan Gifford, the group's deputy state manager.

A coalition doubling its coverage

Silver State Voices, a poll-watching group founded in 2012 and a member of the 866-OUR-VOTE coalition, plans to cover all polling locations across the state, the Sun reported. That includes 177 in Clark and Washoe counties, double its usual number, according to the Sun.

Why observers say it matters

The Sun reported that the surge in observers comes as President Donald Trump's administration has declined to rule out sending federal agents to the polls and has sought to change election procedures.

"I got involved in this process to help strengthen the trust in the electoral process," Gifford told the Sun. Gifford said NEON will release the data its observers collect after the election. The Carter Center and its partners previously released reports on the 2024 elections in Montana, New Mexico and Georgia's Fulton County.

Luiza Benisano, NEON's Northern Nevada regional coordinator, said she hopes that openness will raise confidence. "I think that builds trust, and it lessens the political tension and atmosphere that we go through," she told the Sun.

What observers are trained to do

Rules of conduct

Benisano said the NEON training covers rules of conduct for observers. Those include not distracting or interfering with voters, not electioneering and not using a cellphone, according to the Sun.

Learning how the system works

Thomas Vargas, NEON's Southern Nevada regional coordinator, described the training as "amazing." He told the Sun he learned how voting machines work and how they are checked, how voters sign in, what signage should be posted outside a polling location and how bipartisan ballot examination works if a problem comes up.

Vargas said that without that background, an observer could be looking at things "but not really understanding what's going on in front of you." During early voting, he visited polling locations in his vest and said he watched mail ballot processing from start to finish. Our earlier coverage tracked Nevada's early voting turnout ahead of Election Day.

Benisano said she is proud to help build transparency in the democratic process. "As a participant in democracy, I feel like we all have a right to a safe and fair election," she told the Sun.

What to watch next

• NEON says it will release the data its observers collected after the election, according to the Las Vegas Sun.
• Silver State Voices plans to cover all polling locations statewide today, including 177 in Clark and Washoe counties.
• The Sun reported the Trump administration has declined to rule out sending federal agents to the polls.