LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Nevadans were out in force over the weekend, many arriving several hours before polls opened for early voting.

Vice President Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump in Nevada, where the average number of newly identified COVID-19 cases is more than double what it was in mid-September.

The president, nonetheless held a rally in Carson City on Sunday, similar to others where most attendees went without face coverings.

Kerry Durmick, Nevada state director for the group All Voting is Local, said voters who arrive at a polling place without a mask won't be turned away, but instead provided with one.

She noted all registered, active Nevada voters should have already received a ballot in the mail.

"You can vote in person from the 17th all the way to the 30th at any polling place, and you can also do it on the 3rd of November, too," Durmick explained.

Nevadans going to the polls for early voting need to show a driver's license or voter ID.

Prior to the rally, Trump attended a mega-church service in Las Vegas yesterday, where few people wore masks and there was no social distancing.

Nevada was one of several states where Republicans attempted to block the state from sending mail-in ballots to every registered voter, but last month a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit.

Durmick stressed because voting by mail will be so new to many Nevadans, it's important all voters know their options.

"In Nevada, we've never had this scale of a vote-by-mail election before, so we've never had this many options," Durmick emphasized. "You have all the way until Election Day to register to vote, whether you do that online or on the same day."

The pandemic has been especially hard on Nevada's economy, with the gross domestic product down more than 40% compared to about 31% nationwide.

Nevada and Hawaii, both heavily dependent on tourism, have seen the largest drops in GDP.

Native voting-rights advocates contend two Arizona laws have made it more difficult for Native American voters to be civically engaged, despite already existing structural barriers.

Patty Ferguson-Bohnee, director of the Indian Legal Clinic at Arizona State University, said House Bill 2492 and House Bill 2243 will unfairly impact native voters.

House Bill 2492 said voters must present evidence of a physical mailing address, which Ferguson-Bohnee pointed out will present problems for many native people who simply do not have one. House Bill 2243 requires county recorders to terminate a voter's registration if they suspect someone is not a U.S. citizen. The pieces of legislation are being challenged in court but Ferguson-Bohnee argued education and outreach are also key.

"Trying to translate to tribal people in their own terms, in their own communities, why it's important to participate in voting can already be a challenge when you're dealing with a legal infrastructure that has tried to deny your existence," Ferguson-Bohnee asserted.

Just last month the U.S. House of Representatives released a report examining barriers and providing policy solutions, including the Native American Voting Rights Act, which would establish "consistent standards" for voting throughout Indian Country.

Ferguson-Bohnee encouraged all voters to participate in elections. For native people experiencing difficulties registering to vote or having problems on Election Day, she urged them to call the Election Protection Hotline at 866-687-8683.

Ferguson-Bohnee emphasized when it comes to Native American voting, there have been steps forward and then backward. Despite President Joe Biden having selected Deb Haaland to serve as the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, many still feel voiceless and lack confidence in Washington D.C. leaders.

"There is some feeling within Indian Country and among some Native people is, 'Why should I be participating in this process?'" Ferguson-Bohnee observed. "But when you recognize that people who are elected actually have touch pointed in your everyday life, even if you're in a remote location, because of this federal trust relationship."

Ferguson-Bohnee added realities on reservations are often very different from off the reservation and contended it should be taken into account by elected officials when creating policy affecting the entire state of Arizona.


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The arrival of social media some 20 years ago has created a challenge when it comes to finding nonpartisan political information.

The League of Women Voters, founded in 1920, does its best to offer voters a more neutral option. Last year, New Mexico implemented a law to better fund elections, in part meant to stem recent high turnover among election officials.

Kathy Brook, co-president of the League of Women Voters of New Mexico, believes voters can trust their county clerks to do a good job.

"Pretty much throughout the country there have been improvements in the operations of elections," Brook pointed out. "During the last election we got quite a few county clerks in the state to do very short videos describing the security of the election process."

The Election Performance Index ranks New Mexico best in the nation based on the 2022 midterm elections in terms of voter registration rates, postelection audits, security protocols, ballot rejection rates, wait times and more. The Index is a product of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Before the internet, many voters in both political parties relied on the League's hard copy nonpartisan Voter Guide, still available at most public libraries prior to an election. There are more options now but Brook acknowledged some voters still want the tactile experience.

"We have a fairly decent electronic tool, but those people who've gotten their information from printed guides for 30, 40 years like to see the printed guide," Brook observed.

The League lobbies legislation at the national, state, and local levels, based on positions crafted at national conventions. Members of state and local leagues determine their leagues' positions on state and local issues, consistent with the national positions.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Voters across Minnesota will be participating in today's primary.

At the same time, community-level organizers are starting to engage with Latino voters, making sure they're energized and ready to take part in the November election.

Communities Organizing Latino Power and Action - COPAL - just re-launched its Minnesota Latino Vote program, one of the largest election outreach efforts among Spanish-speaking populations within the state.

Organizing director Ryan Perez said they hope to make roughly 100,000 connections through their phone banks, along with 10,000 door knocks.

He predicted the Latino vote will play a big role in deciding races in certain districts, especially the bottom half of the state.

"Southern Minnesota in the last 20 years has been basically the major growth of the Latino community in Minnesota," said Perez. "Places like Austin, Worthington - these are places where Latino voters can and do make a difference in outcomes."

Organizers are still trying to overcome registration gaps among eligible Latino voters, but they do see opportunity in getting younger generations to cast their ballots.

Census data show there are 345,000 Latinos in Minnesota - 6% of the state's population. Despite some of the gaps, there was a significant increase in the Latino turnout between the 2016 election and 2020.

In the 2022 midterms, Perez said Latinos in Minnesota were concerned about issues like healthcare and driver's licenses for all - a plan eventually adopted at the state level.

He said this year, the presidential election - and the inclusion of Gov. Tim Walz on the Democratic ticket - has many Spanish-speaking voters aware of what lies ahead.

But he said candidates and political analysts shouldn't make assumptions this voting bloc thinks the same way about everything.

"Especially when we're talking about a group like Latinos," said Perez, "we're talking about people from different countries, different preferred languages."

That means priorities might differ among Latino voters, based on their family's origins.

As for COPAL's outreach program, Perez said it goes beyond gathering feedback on the top concerns. Latinos are provided information about how and where to vote, and what their voting rights are.