Officials in Nevada’s two most populous counties certified the 2024 general election results on Friday, the first official step in validating the outcome of the races.

The Clark County Commission unanimously approved the results, while Washoe County Commissioner Jeanne Herman, a Republican, was the only vote against certification. Mike Clark, another Republican commissioner in Washoe, left the meeting and was absent from the vote.

The certifications followed dozens of complaints from residents in both counties, who repeatedly accused officials of deleting votes, not counting ballots, intimidating voters and posting inaccurate ballot counts, even as election officials and prominent Republicans have called the election fair. The public commenters asked the officials to not certify election results, but election certification is a mandatory and nondiscretionary requirement of local officials.

The scenes on Friday demonstrated the surge in efforts to block election certification based on claims of widespread voter fraud. Although the disinformation surrounding Nevada’s elections has been less pronounced this year than in the prior two election cycles, the efforts by then-President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn election results in states he lost four years ago have spurred electoral distrust and a steady stream of allegations of mass irregularities.

The results will now go to the secretary of state’s office for final certification. The office also accepts reports of election law violations.

The certification in Washoe County was particularly closely watched after the county commission declined to certify results from two contested recounts in the June primaries, though it eventually certified the results. Clara Andriola, a Republican, was the only GOP commissioner to certify the general election results on Friday. Amid the increased tensions ahead of the election, panic buttons were installed at county vote centers, but they were only used once. 

In Washoe’s meeting, residents voiced outrage over the election administration, saying the county failed to be transparent, alleging without proof that their ballots were not counted, complaining that the media did not report Trump was ahead in the county before Election Day (Vice President Kamala Harris won the county by a slim margin) and asserting ballots were deleted. Clark, the GOP commissioner who did not cast a vote, left during the meeting amid the public complaints about the election results.

During Clark County’s meeting, attendees carried charts and data that they said showed officials had systematically deleted or not counted thousands of votes in the election, though it is unclear how they reached those conclusions. Many commenters said that the county commissioners were “traitors” for certifying the results, and that they would be on the wrong side of history, while others also appeared to indicate that Trump would go after commissioners for certifying the results.

Alongside the outrage, which was largely generalized complaints about the process instead of skepticism of specific race outcomes, progressive organizations and other citizens in both counties urged commissioners to certify the election.

Washoe County resident Mary Richardson said she supports having the election certified and has worked elections in the county since 2016. Richardson said she has a banking background and has experience with dual custody and protecting information — something she said that the county also does well with during elections.

“The elections are run with integrity,” Richardson said.

Lindsey Harmon, the executive director of Planned Parenthood Votes Nevada, began her public comment in Washoe County by quoting Nevada’s Republican National Committeewoman Sigal Chattah, who said there is “unfounded hysteria on Nevada’s Senate race and legislative races.” 

Harmon said it’s the role of the commission to certify the results. 

“I actually believe in democracy,” Harmon said. “Shame on you to the commissioners who have previously voted against certifying this election in the past.”