Nevada jails now in compliance with laws allowing inmates to vote

Seven jails across the state are now fully in compliance with a law that requires the facilities create a process for inmates to vote while behind bars, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada.

The ACLU announced Thursday that the jails, including those of Clark County, North Las Vegas, Henderson and others, had come into compliance with a new law requiring city and county jail administrators to develop a procedure to allow inmates to vote by mail.

“Through collaboration between the ACLU of Nevada and the jail administrators and county clerks, most jails throughout the state now have policies that create access to the ballot box for eligible voters,” ACLU attorney Sadmira Ramic said in a statement.

The announcement comes after ACLU Executive Director Athar Haseebullah told lawmakers in March that the organization would begin filing lawsuits in mid-April against jails that did not come into full compliance with the law.

The organization then filed a lawsuit against Elko County in early May after the county did not respond to demand letters sent by the ACLU.

The county reached a settlement agreement with the ACLU Wednesday.

Haseebullah said they were “grateful” Elko County had negotiated, and said the ACLU would continue working with the jails to ensure compliance with the law.

“We will continue to work with remaining Nevada jails to ensure the right to vote is accessible to eligible voters no matter where they are,” he said in a statement.

The bill, which was sponsored by Assemblywoman Brittney Miller, D-Las Vegas, was passed during the previous legislative session, and the law went into effect on Jan. 1.

Those in jail are either awaiting trial or serving misdemeanor sentences, and therefore have not had their right to vote revoked.

Contact Taylor R. Avery at TAvery@reviewjournal.com. Follow @travery98 on X.