Nevada Ways and Means hears AB 287 recount changes and creation of 'voter access' grant fund amid county concerns

Assemblymember Gonzalez (sponsor) told the committee AB 287 revises recount procedures and creates a new Voter Access Fund to help counties administer elections. The sponsor said earlier fiscal notes from counties were removed through amendments; the bill now would require repayment for automatic recounts from the statutory contingency reserve and create a grant program for election support formerly in another bill.

Secretary of State staff explained how the fund and recounts would operate. Gabriel DeCaro, chief deputy secretary of state, and Mark Voloshin, deputy for elections, said the Secretary’s Office expects to use existing staff to identify mandatory recounts and to notify counties; counties would conduct recounts and could be reimbursed for overtime or extraordinary costs. Voloshin said routine activities would not trigger reimbursement, but overtime and temporary staff costs would be eligible; the proposed bill language would make reimbursement come from the statutory contingency reserve.

County officials asked for clearer timelines and cost-allocation rules. Ashley Kennedy (Clark County) and Cadence Matejevich (Washoe County) described the operational burden of recounts in a vote-center, mail-ballot system: recounts often require reopening and reprocessing many ballots, temporary staff and vendor support. They proposed an amendment (dated April 28) that would (a) clarify how to allocate costs when both automatic and candidate-requested recounts occur, (b) require the state to pay costs associated with automatic recounts from the statutory contingency reserve, (c) set a single deadline for recount requests (three working days after the county or Supreme Court canvas as applicable), (d) require recount work to start within five days of the deadline and finish within five working days after start, and (e) move the Supreme Court canvas to the Tuesday after the county canvas so recounts can be processed in a single batch.

Fiscal estimates and concerns: Clark County estimated a typical recount could cost roughly $69,000 (about $50,000 staffing and $19,000 vendor support) with high-end overtime costs up to $87,000 depending on timing; Washoe estimated approximately $30,000 under the proposed streamlining. Clark noted several recounts in recent elections would have met the proposed automatic recount threshold (four races in 2024). Committee members asked how large a contingency reserve increase might be needed; Secretary staff said they would provide an estimate to the committee within hours.

Public testimony split along two main lines: voting access advocates supported the bill and the Voter Access Fund. Ryan Vortish of Silver State Voices and other callers urged passage. Opponents raised constitutional and oversight concerns about the Voter Access Fund: callers and witnesses (Independent American Party, members of Nevada Families for Freedom and others) warned the fund’s broad language could allow partisan or opaque spending; several speakers argued the grant program belongs in a separate bill and cited Article 4, Section 17 of the Nevada Constitution and NRS 218D.100 in saying a bill must embrace a single subject.

Secretary of State response: Gabriel DeCaro said the office would propose an amendment adding transparency measures, including proportional spending rules, and said he expected to accept the counties’ friendly amendments that streamline timing and cost allocation. The sponsor closed the hearing; committee members did not vote on the bill during the session.

Ending: Committee staff requested a short fiscal estimate on contingency needs; counties said the amendment approach would reduce overtime and other high-cost drivers by synchronizing recounts.