Nevada, Clark County tabulating ballots — BLOG

Voting analysis

Steve Sebelius shares voting totals in Nevada and Clark County.

Early votes

10:58 p.m.

With all polling stations closed and in-person voting ballots submitted, Clark County and Nevada have started tabulating votes.

As 11 p.m., approached Joe Biden held a narrow 50.58 percent to 47.55 percent lead in Nevada with 538,163 votes to 505,866 votes cast for Donald Trump.

Click here for up-to-date election results.

— Review-Journal

All voter lines complete

9:17 p.m.

The state of Nevada says on Twitter that all voters in line have now submitted their ballots.

All voters in line in Nevada have now voted. First Nevada election results dropping in a few minutes. Keep it tuned to https://t.co/hh9Yh3obF0. #ElectionNight #NevadaVotes

— Nevada Elections (@NVElect) November 4, 2020

The first election results should be coming shortly.

— Review-Journal

Votes arrive

8:41 p.m.

The first 2020 ballots arrived shortly after 8 p.m. at the Clark County Election Center for tabulation.

— Review-Journal

Voter brings 6-year-old for vote

8:38 p.m.

Katherine Hall, the second to last person in line after the 8 p.m. cutoff to vote at Desert Breeze Community Center, brought her 6-year-old son, Elijah, to “teach him the ways of the world.”

As a busy mom she wasn’t able to vote early and was insecure about voting by mail, and Desert Breeze was her nearest poll.

“I’m always occupied but today I said ‘I have to get out today and go vote, every voice matters,’” she said. “I want to teach my son that his voice matters as a Black man in America.”

The line was moving along, and Hall doesn’t mind the wait.

“A lot of things are changing right now especially with the Black Lives Matter movement,” she said. “So I can be a voice that makes a change.”

— Jannelle Calderon

‘Polls are now closed’

8 p.m.

About 85 people were in line at the LVAC at Rainbow when the location closed at 8 p.m.

“Polls are now closed,” workers are yelling through the parking lot.

#Election2020: polls are now closed in Las #Vegas and #ClarkCounty. #Voting may still be taking place as #Voters who were in line at 8pm at the 30 centers required to stay open for an extra hour will still get to #VOTE . pic.twitter.com/nQm6nH4wbC

— Clark County Nevada (@ClarkCountyNV) November 4, 2020

Voter in line at 8 p.m. at the 30 election centers that were required to stay open an extra hour will still have a chance to vote.

— Alexis Ford

Longer hours, shorter line

7:26 p.m.

Even though the Desert Oasis High School voting site was extended by an hour, only a few people strayed in late.

The site’s election team leader said it was busy all day but that the crowd dwindled about an hour ago.

Jennifer Loysaga, who lives in the neighborhood and works at a cancer treatment center, said she was glad she was able to cast her ballot after being too busy to vote early.

“It’s very helpful that they stayed open a little longer,” she said. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able make it.”

— Jannelle Calderon

Stressful drive to get to polls

7:20 p.m.

Mark Ceballos, 21, and Kylie Novick, 18, arrived at Bozarth Elementary School about 20 seconds before the 7 p.m. cutoff, where 60 people were in line.

Since it’s the first election they can vote in, they said it was a nerve-wracking drive.

“I worked late so I literally ran home, changed, and we drove straight over here,” he said. “It was stressful but luckily we were able to park close and get in line just before they cut it off.”

The two said they don’t have anything against voting by mail but, since it’s their first time voting in a presidential election, they wanted to cast their votes in person.

“It feels big,” Novick said of the election. “And voting in person just feels more real.”

— Alexis Ford

Nevada election update

7:15 p.m.

The Review-Journal’s Steve Sebelius checks in with an update on the Nevada election

Paramount to vote in person

7:04 p.m.

Dylan Seprish, who was casting his ballot at Bozarth Elementary School, said it was important to him that he vote in-person instead of by mail.

“I’m just more confident casting my vote in person,” he said. “It was important to me to come out and do it.”

— Alexis Ford

Sisolak on the election

6:00 p.m.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak shares his thoughts on the 2020 election during a Democratic Party event at Springs Preserve.

‘It’s just a great feeling’

5:35 p.m.

La Marcus Johnson, 43, said he waited 22 minutes to cast his vote at Sun City Anthem, a small price to pay to be part of the process.

“I don’t think a lot of people understand that enough — from sea to shining sea isn’t necessarily a free thing, it costs us,” he said. “Today it’s costing me some time. Other people it cost their life — God bless them for that and they fight for our ability to vote.”

Election officials said the line of voters at the polling site had snaked down the side of the building earlier Tuesday but it shortened by around 4 p.m.

Johnson voted in person Tuesday to get the full experience and to pay homage to his grandparents, who he said couldn’t vote until 1965 when the Voting Rights Act prohibited racial discrimination in voting.

“A hundred years ago women couldn’t do this (vote), so to do it and have the ability to do it, it’s just a great feeling to be a bigger part of the system when I can,” he said.

Although Johnson did not share which presidential candidate he voted for, he said he is an independent and votes based on his beliefs “as a Christian, as an American, as a global citizen and how I want the world to view us.”

— Jannelle Calderon

Boulevard Mall voting operations ‘smooth as silk’

3:45 p.m.

A line of about 90 voters at the polling location in the Boulevard Mall parking lot wrapped around the white tent where people were casting ballots.

Polling place team leader Rosanne Keys said the wait had been about an hour throughout the day.

The location had faced no problems, with operations running “smooth as silk,” she said.

However, Las Vegas resident Ted Payne, 58, said glitches forced him to spend about 25 minutes checking in to vote. He said election workers told him his issues were an anomaly.

Payne, an independent, said he voted for President Donald Trump. He said he likes Biden, but worries the former vice president is House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s “stooge.”

He said he likes that Trump is not a politician.

“He’s a businessman,” Payne said. “He’s almost like a regular guy.”

— Blake Apgar

‘Your vote should count, too’

3:25 p.m.

There were no long lines and no technical difficulties Tuesday at the Las Vegas Ballpark voting site, election officials said.

Brooke Pizzo, 42, intended to vote early but ran out of time so she cast her vote on Election Day. She said she voted for the Democratic ticket for the first time and changed her party affiliation on her registration.

“I am so disappointed and disenchanted with our current president. Last election I did not vote for him either, I voted libertarian,” Pizzo said. “I don’t have to agree with every thing from the Biden-Kamala campaign but I can clearly see everything that I don’t want from the other.”

Pizzo said she was glad to be able to vote Tuesday.

“We have this beautiful system, we get to make those choices and I think that the way democracy works is that everyone’s vote should count,” she said. “Whether or not you agree with me or not, your vote should count, too.”

— Jannelle Calderon

‘This is the process, and it’s beautiful’

2:07 p.m.

Election officials at the Centennial Center voting site said there haven’t been any technology issues as voters went to the polls Tuesday.

The polling station opened as planned at 7 a.m. The line was longer earlier, with wait times of about 30 minutes, but by early afternoon it took only about 10 minutes to get inside.

Related: 2020 Voter Guide

John Bushnell, 68, has voted every election since 1974. As a new Nevadan, having just moved here two months ago, Bushnell expected his and his wife’s mail ballots to be forwarded to his new address from Oregon, but they never came.

He learned that in Nevada, residents can register to vote on Election Day and that’s what he did. After a trip to the Department of Motor Vehicles to get a Nevada driver’s license, the couple went to the Centennial Center voting site to cast their votes.

Related: RJ endorsements of candidate and issues

“I’ve always thought it’s important, but this year the fact that the country is really split about how they see the future, what their vision of America is going forward into the future,” Bushnell said. “My wife and I thought it was really important to come and vote today because I just feel like this is probably the most important election of my life.”

Bushnell, who voted Republican, said this election is different than those of the past. This election made him reflect about his importance as a voter.

“I thought to myself ‘this really is the day that America is gonna determine its future,’” he said. “Of course I still want my guy to win, but I thought ‘this is how it works, this is the process, and it’s beautiful.’”

— Jannelle Calderon

No crowds at Rancho High

1:50 p.m.

Many of the voting machines at Rancho High School were open with no line to get in about 1:15 p.m.

The team leader for the voting location declined to discuss whether there were issues with technology, but everything appeared to be running smoothly.

Daisy Irizarry, 33, brought her 10-year-old son, Dwayne, with her to vote.

Irizarry said she cast her vote for Joe Biden because she said he would help “Dreamers.”

She said she voted on Election Day instead of during the early voting period because she is a busy mom.

“So today was the day that I was a little free,” she said.

Irizarry said the whole process took 10 to 15 minutes.

— Blake Apgar

Long lines suggest strong turnout

1:30 p.m.

There were long lines reported at polling stations throughout the Las Vegas Valley on Tuesday, indicating a strong turnout was in the works.

Voter Shawntia Hampton voted at a polling station at South Eastern Avenue and East Patrick Lane. She said it was noticeable how many more people showed up to vote this year.

“Everybody’s rights matter,” Hampton said. “Everyone’s voice matters. Just to see so many people out here now — before there wasn’t this many people out here that cared about voting. I just feel this year it is more powerful.”

Brent Hilton and his daughter, Amber, said there was a long line but not a long wait at the polling station on Eastern.

“It went really smoothly,” Brent Hilton said. “We didn’t wait in line for more than 20, 30 minutes at most. We were able to get in there and everybody was really nice. Really helpful.

“The ballot process went really smoothly,” Hilton said. “It was great. This was a really important election. It seems to be dividing our country and we need to come back together.”

— Glenn Puit

Quiet at Doolittle

12:40 p.m.

The Doolittle Community Center near Martin Luther King and Lake Mead boulevards had virtually no wait for voters early Tuesday afternoon.

Inside the location at about noon, a few voting machines were unoccupied. The room was quiet, with some chatter coming from the check-in kiosks.

Kevin Joseph, 57, said he was in and out of the location in 15 minutes.

He cast his ballot for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

“They seem to be more in touch with common folks, that’s all,” he said. “But they’re all politicians so there’s only so much they’re allowed to do once they get in that arena.”

Asked if the location had experienced any technology issues, one election volunteer said poll workers could not do interviews.

Joseph said he experienced no problems.

— Blake Apgar

Different experience than 2016

12:35 p.m.

Ronnie Martinez, his partner and mother had been waiting to vote at Desert Breeze Community Center for about 20 minutes as of shortly after noon on Tuesday.

This year Martinez will be voting Republican even though he is registered as Democrat.

“I just felt like this decision was a better one to make,” Martinez said about his switch.

Martinez chose to vote in person on Election Day rather than voting early because of the “experience.”

But this year his experience is different than 2016.

“We weren’t expecting such a long line,” he said. “Last time we literally just walked in and out.”

Martinez said he decided to vote in person because of concerns with the accuracy of mail-in ballots.

— Jannelle Calderon

Opening delayed at ‘a lot’ of polling sites

11:45 a.m.

Secretary of State spokeswoman Jennifer Russell said problems with technology initially caused delays in opening at “a lot” of polling stations in Clark County on Tuesday.

“From what I understand, a lot of polling locations in Clark County were unable to open on time this morning due to technical issues with the poll books, nothing having to do with the machines,” Russell said.

Shortly before noon, Russell said that “all of the locations are open at this time.”

Clark County provided very few details on the problems with technology at the polling stations, saying only there were some delays.

— Glenn Puit

Three-hour wait at one polling site

11:21 a.m.

The line at Faiss Middle School, near Fort Apache and Sunset roads, is wrapping around the building as of 11 a.m. Although election officials said the line is shorter than it was when polls opened, people leaving said they waited up to three hours.

Stephanie Rivera said although it was frustrating to wait in line for hours, “it was worth it.”

Alejandra Remis, 41, said she waited three hours with her young daughter to vote in her first presidential election since becoming a citizen last year.

While her daughter’s feet were tired and the two went without breakfast, Remis said she was excited to vote for the first time.

“I would like to see a difference,” she said.

— Katelyn Newberg

No major hiccups at Meadows Mall

11 a.m.

The voting location in the Meadows Mall parking lot had short lines after 10 a.m. that appeared to move quickly.

Polling place workers said technology issues occasionally cropped up, but were resolved quickly. The site was up and running at 7 a.m., the team leader said.

Las Vegas resident Frank Flores, 49, said he voted on Tuesday for a better future, but declined to say who he supported in the presidential race.

“I think I did the right thing for me and for people,” he said.

Flores, who felt more comfortable voting in person, said he experienced no issues voting at the Meadows Mall location and that the process took about 10 minutes.

— Blake Apgar

‘It was easy’

10:44 a.m.

At Kenny C. Guinn Middle School, an election volunteer said there were some minor technology problems at the polling station when it opened at 7 a.m., but those issues were quickly resolved.

Multiple voters said the wait to vote was not long despite lines of more than 80 people. Voter Mike Spadaro said it took him about 20 minutes to get through the line.

“Got in line, sit there, waited for the line to move up, and voted,” Spadaro said. “It was easy.”

Of his vote Spadaro said: “I just hope we put the people in there who will do a good job and we get what we need for the country.”

Another voter at Kenny C. Guinn Middle School said he thought the process was smooth.

“It’s good,” said voter Ceferino Estrada. “I woke up early, the line (was) like 20, 25 minutes. No problems.”

— Glenn Puit

Wait to vote getting shorter

10:38 a.m.

Election officials said the wait to vote at Victoria Ferttita Middle School was about 40 minutes as of 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.

It took up to an hour and a half for voters to get through the line earlier this morning, but there have been no technical difficulties affecting the wait time.

State Assemblyman Steve Yeager, who represents the district this middle school is located in, was handing out free donuts and information about judicial races. His wife, Bita Yeager, is running for District Court department 1.

“It’s a lot to ask of our voters,” Steve Yeager said of the long list of judicial candidates appearing on the ballot.

— Katelyn Newberg

Line at Galleria moving along

9:04 a.m

At the voting station at the Galleria at Sunset mall, there was a large line of more than 100 people waiting to vote, but the line was moving.

Elections team leader Michele Hulsizer said there were no technical difficulties at the polling location.

“When we opened this morning we had a line of people at 7 a.m.,” Hulsizer said. “It took us about an hour to start processing them all the way through. Now we are down to about a half hour.”

— Glenn Puit

Polling sites experience technical problems

8:20 a.m.

Shortly after 7 a.m., the elections division of the Nevada Secretary of State’s office tweeted that “several polling locations in the county are experiencing technical problems and have not yet opened.”

The tweet urged Clark County voters standing in line to be patient and said the polling locations experiencing problems “will open soon.”

At 9:45 a.m., Clark County spokesman Dan Kulin said all the polling sites now are open but he didn’t know what time the last one opened.

— Glenn Puit

Gov. Sisolak kicks off election day

7:16 a.m.

Gov. Steve Sisolak kicked off Election Day in east Las Vegas at the Democrats’ Voter Activation Center on East Bonanza Road.

He was joined by state party Chairman William McCurdy II and members of the Nevada Hispanic League Democratic Caucus.

“What we need in this country right now is unity,” McCurdy said. “How are you feeling?”

“Powerful!” the crowd responded.

“Now is the time you leave it all on the field,” Sisolak told a crowd of about 100 people, many of them canvassers.

He said Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will protect all Americans.

“Every single vote is so important this time,” Sisolak said, adding “now it is our turn to deliver.”

“If you are not doing it for you do it for your children, your grandchildren,” he said.

Sisolak urged more than 100 people at the kickoff event “to turn out every single vote.”

“Donald Trump will not steal this election, not in Nevada and not in the United States.”

Sisolak criticized the Trump administration and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We just went over 100,000 infections in Nevada,” he said. “That’s because there was no plan coming out of Washington D.C. I begged for PPE. I begged for testing kits and we couldn’t get them. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will deliver what we need in Nevada.”

— Glenn Puit

Polls are open

Today is Election Day and the polls in Nevada opened at 7 a.m.

Follow the Review-Journal for updates throughout the day as voters cast their ballots in the 2020 election.

Related: 2020 Voter Guide

If you didn’t vote early or mail in your ballot, you can get information on what you need to know for voting today, including locations of the 125 voting sites in Clark County.

Related: RJ endorsements of candidate and issues

After the polls close tonight, we will provide results as soon as they become available on our Election Results page. You can find vote tallies from the presidential and congressional races to contests for the Nevada Legislature, Clark County Commission, Clark County School District Board of Trustees and courts, among others.

We also will track seats won for each party in the U.S. Senate and U.S House of Representatives races.