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FACT BRIEF

Did some Nevada counties have more ballots cast for Biden than residents in the county in the 2020 election?

By Todd Butterworth
View this fact brief on The Nevada Independent
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NO

Data from the Nevada Secretary of State’s office show that as of Nov. 25, 2020 the number of registered active voters in each Nevada county was greater than the number of ballots cast in each county. No county had more votes cast than active voters. The total number of votes cast in the 2020 election for all presidential candidates combined, not just for Joe Biden, was fewer than the number of registered voters.

Data from the 2020 U.S. Census also show that every Nevada county had more residents than active voters reported by the Secretary of State. Thus, no county had more votes for Biden than residents.

The misinformation comparing the number of votes cast and residents comes from an erroneous analysis by the Voter Reference Foundation in 2021, which used updated voter records from several weeks after the election.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Nevada Secretary of State 2020 General Election Turnout
US Census NEVADA: 2020 Census
Silver State Times Nevada Secretary of State: Deleted voter records are to blame for 2020 vote tally discrepancies
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
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.