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FACT BRIEF

Did Nevada pass a bill allowing Native tribes to request a polling site?

By Esther Tsvayg
View this fact brief on The Nevada Independent
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YES

Before 2019, tribal governments in Nevada were unable to request a polling place.

Legislation to safeguard tribal voting in Nevada came after a successful lawsuit by citizens of the Pyramid Lake Paiute and Walker River Paiute tribes in 2016 against Nevada, Washoe County and Mineral County for routinely denying polling locations on their reservations.

As a result, a U.S. district judge ordered additional early voting and Election Day locations, expanding Native voting access in time for the 2016 election. Emergency pandemic voting accommodations in 2020, like universal mail-in ballots and additional drop boxes, were also made available to tribes in Nevada.

As a result, the Native American turnout rate was up 25% from 2016 to 2020. Assembly Bill 321, signed by the governor in 2021, solidified this expanded access by providing tribal governments an extended deadline to request polling locations and ballot drop boxes that would return each election.

See a full discussion of this at The Nevada Independent
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Nevada Current Tribes get their own polling places, some for the first time
Nevada Current Nevada tribes taking advantage of improved voting access
White House Report of the interagency steering group on Native American voting rights
Native American Voting Rights Nevada Tribal Leaders’ Guide
State of Nevada AB321 Overview
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The Nevada Independent
The Nevada Independent is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news and opinion website founded in 2017 by veteran political journalist and commentator Jon Ralston. The site and its supporting channels are focused on ethical, unbiased and transparent journalism. In general, we aim to gather and disseminate important public information and increase civic engagement. We are supported by corporate donations, memberships, event ticket sales and sponsorships and foundation grants. We disclose all our members and donors. Donors have no influence over our content, ever. The Nevada Independent is the dba for Nevada News Bureau, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 2010 by Elizabeth Thompson, who now serves as one of The Nevada Independent's managing directors and its Editor.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.