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Counties warn of poll-worker shortages and outline recruitment, ADA and training plans ahead of Nevada primary
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Summary
Clark, Washoe and Elko election officials told a legislative committee they are stepping up recruitment and training for the June primary, citing long hours, new equipment, ADA compliance and late cancellations; Clark seeks 4,000 workers, Washoe reports ~85–90% recruited and Elko is pushing for higher pay.
County election officials from Clark, Washoe and Elko briefed the joint interim committee on Thursday on efforts to recruit and train poll workers for the June 2026 primary, describing operational differences between urban and rural counties and steps to address recruitment shortfalls.
Ashley Kennedy, who presented on behalf of Clark County, said the county is preparing 4,000 election workers to staff 23 long-term early-voting sites, 69 short-term sites and 137 election-day vote centers to serve roughly 1.5 million registered voters. Clark has run seven test elections since May 2025, increased recruiter and trainer staff, launched a new election-worker management system tied to the voter-registration database and added night-rider and rover roles to support outlying sites.
"We plan and we prepare for the election — it's a way for us to test any new equipment," Kennedy said, noting Clark trains six days a week and expects significant last-minute cancellations while continuing outreach to recruit replacements.
Washoe County Registrar Andrew McDonald described a separate set of logistical challenges for a largely rural county that spans several time zones. Washoe reported about 85–90% of needed poll workers recruited for the primary, higher pay and internal incentives for county employees to support mail‑ballot processing, and a new curbside voting program implemented to meet DOJ ADA requirements after a recent compliance review.
Elko County Clerk Rebecca Plunkett described recruiting and onboarding difficulties in sparsely populated and remote precincts, including long drive times to remote sites and limited internet access for online HR onboarding; Elko is negotiating with county commissioners to raise pay to improve recruitment and will staff two tribal early‑voting locations with drop boxes on election day.
All three counties cited harassment and threats during recent cycles as a factor depressing recruitment. The Secretary of State's office and county speakers referenced NRS 293.705 (the 2023 law making threats against election officials a felony) as one protective measure in recruitment discussions, but county officials said pay, scheduling flexibility and clearer outreach remain critical to keep staff engaged.
Lawmakers asked about the sufficiency of staffing for both the primary and the general; Washoe said it currently expects to have enough workers for the primary. Officials urged community members to sign up, noting that poll workers are paid positions and that many counties offer stipends, overtime pay or leave incentives.
