Nevada Governor Signs Bill to Protect Election Workers
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Tuesday, May 30, Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) signed Senate Bill 406, a bill that creates new offenses designed to protect election officials from intimidation and election interference. This includes prohibiting the dissemination of “any personal identifying information or sensitive information of an elections official without the consent of the elections official.”
The bill passed unanimously through both chambers of the Democratic-controlled Legislature in response to growing threats against election workers. “I want election workers to know that the secretary of state’s office has their back,” said Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar (D) at the bill signing ceremony. Aguilar, who defeated a far-right election denier in November 2022, made protecting election officials and polling place volunteers a campaign priority.
The Brennan Center for Justice’s most recent survey of local election officials noted that 30% of respondents indicated that they have personally been harassed or threatened because of their job. One in five plan to likely leave the job before 2024.