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Committee considers bill to let poll workers volunteer and allow some returning citizens to serve in registration roles
Summary
Assembly Bill 262 would allow poll workers to volunteer without pay and remove felony-based prohibitions that prevent some returning citizens from serving as field registrars or working at voter registration agencies; testimony was strongly split between voting-access advocates and speakers raising security and legal concerns.
The Senate Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections heard testimony on Assembly Bill 262, a measure that would allow poll workers to opt out of compensation and repeal a statutory prohibition that bars people convicted of certain felonies involving theft or fraud from serving as field registrars or employees at voter registration agencies.
Supporters said the bill would expand the pool of election workers by protecting retiree benefits and creating pathways for reintegration; opponents warned the change could risk voter-registration integrity and asked for consultation on federal requirements.
Assemblymember Cecilia Gonzales, D-Clark, presented AB 262 as an interim-committee recommendation aimed at increasing temporary election staff and addressing poll-worker shortages. Gonzales identified two main changes: giving poll workers the option to serve without pay "so that retirees or students who need volunteer hours" can participate, and repealing provisions that "prohibit a person convicted of a felony involving theft or fraud from serving as a field registrar or working at a voter registration agency." She said the change aligns state practice with laws that restore a person's civil rights after a sentence has been completed.
Priscilla Gomez of Silver State Voices and Chanel Cascanello of All Voting Is Local Action Nevada testified in support, saying unpaid volunteer options could preserve retirees' PERS benefits and expand institutional knowledge among poll workers. Piper Heath of Strategies 360, representing Campaign Legal Center, testified that AB 262 removes an "unnecessary and undemocratic prohibition" preventing returning citizens from serving in voter-registration roles and urged the committee to adopt the bill.
Supporters also included Janina Baldovino of oneAPI Nevada, who said the bill "takes a thoughtful and inclusive step towards strengthening our election system" by allowing volunteering and removing lifetime barriers for people who have completed sentences.
Opposition and concern were raised by callers and in-person speakers who questioned whether the bill sufficiently limits who may serve and whether it complies with federal voter-registration agency procedures. Iris Stone, a Las Vegas resident, cited NRS 246.010 and NRS 293.04 when arguing that county clerks must be elected and that existing statutes tie election powers to elected officials; she suggested staffing shortages could instead be addressed by additional funding for deputy clerks. Ellen Gifford argued the bill "proposes the removal of at least two laws that protect the voter registration process from possible fraud by convicted felons" and urged coordination with federal authorities, noting NRS 293.504's cross-agency provisions.
Senators and assembly sponsors discussed technical clarifications; Gonzales said the bill is an option, not a mandate, and noted it also makes conforming changes to several local charters and airport authority acts to allow unpaid volunteer election officers where applicable.
The committee took no vote on AB 262 during the hearing and closed the record after testimony.
