Postal Service blames 'human error' for missing Nevada mail ballots

Indy Elections takes you behind the headlines of Nevada politics, delivering scoops and smart analysis on the races that could reshape our lives. You can change your newsletter settings here.

In today's edition: Why didn't USPS deliver dozens of rural mail ballots correctly and on time? We finally find out. Plus: The national org tasked with helping Democrats running for governor is nowhere to be seen in Nevada, pro-Lombardo billboards still marked with hateful graffiti, and IBEW Local 396 explains its big endorsement. 

The last week of August represents another quiet stretch in Washington and a mad dash on the campaign trail as we approach the months when Regular People™ finally start paying attention to the impending midterms. Next week, I'll head to Las Vegas to see the action up close for myself. Shoot me a note if you'd like to grab coffee and talk elections. 

This newsletter is published every week. We want to hear from you! Email your newsletter editor Mini Racker at [email protected]. 

✉️You've got mail … or do you?

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has answers for Nevada's senators about how nearly three dozen rural mail ballots were not counted in the June primary and shares the steps the agency is taking to make sure it doesn't happen again. 

Last month, The Indy's reporting prompted Nevada's senators to demand an investigation into the error. According to a response sent by USPS Government Liaison Director Jennifer Selde, which The Indy has obtained, a sample ballot from among those not counted went through the incorrect automated sorting program in error. It was then flagged for manual review.

That ballot should then have been redirected to the right mailflow, but that didn't happen. Instead, it went to the Mail Recovery Center, where the agency holds undeliverable mail and attempts to return it to the sender. 

"Based on the circumstances and processing information, our review concluded the ballots in question were misdirected due to human error," Selde wrote. 

To prevent similar errors in the future, "employees at appropriate facilities received a presentation on the proper handling of Election Mail," on two different days, Selde wrote, emphasizing return ballot mail shouldn't be included in Postal Automated Redirection System sorting. 

On July 31, leadership for USPS processing operations across the entire Western United States received a presentation on the issue. The Western Processing Area vice president directed all facilities in the region to certify that employees receive a talk entitled "No Voter Returned Ballots in PARS" by last week.

"The mishandling of election mail for any reason is completely unacceptable," Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) wrote in a statement to The Indy. "While I am glad that USPS is taking this issue seriously and has taken steps to prevent mail ballots from being improperly processed in the future, an incident like this never should have happened in the first place."

Selde promised the trainings and communications will continue. 

She wrote, "I would like to apologize on behalf of the Postal Service for any inconvenience or frustration this issue has caused."

— Mini Racker

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What we're reading and writing

How much is Attorney General Aaron Ford (D) doing to stop Medicaid fraud?

16,000, 185, tomato, toe-mahto. 

What would Nevada's lieutenant governor do after the midterms? One candidate answers. 

The questions candidates dodge sometimes reveal more than the ones they respond to.

Here's what you need to know about Ford's data center pivot.

Which candidate is investing more in winning over Latino voters?

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Indy Ad Watch: Where in the world is the DGA?

Nevada's governor's race is one of the most competitive in the country. 

But, so far, the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) — the national group dedicated to helping Democrats win such seats — and affiliated entities haven't reserved any ad time in the Silver State with less than 70 fun-filled days until Election Day. 

The Republican ad spending advantage in Nevada's governor's race is massive — as of Monday morning, it stood at more than $35.8 million. AdImpact shows GOP-aligned groups have reserved more than $9 million in ads for October, while Democrats have reserved $0. In total, Republican groups have reserved or spent more than $30.4 million this election cycle —– not including spending by Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) from the candidate's campaign. No Democratic groups have reported ad spending on the race.

In previous years, spending has been more comparable.

Data from AdImpact shows that in 2018, Republican issue groups spent more than $12.5 million while their Democratic counterparts spent more than $15.7 million. In 2022, Democratic groups spent more than $30.2 million and Republican groups spent more than $29.6 million.

The DGA's affiliated state-level PAC, A More Affordable Nevada, was registered in the state on June 1 and received $50,000 from the DGA ahead of the July 15 campaign filing deadline. The PAC and the DGA are not legally allowed to coordinate activity.

The association has also released and touted polling related to Nevada's governor's race and made early staffing investments.

A source close to the DGA said there is no strategic imperative for the DGA to show its hand, and said Trump's approval rating and the economy are not going to bode well for Lombardo's campaign.

"When the DGA comes in, and they will, it will be bad news for Joe Lombardo," the source said.

— Tabitha Mueller

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Mini Series: We did Nazi this coming

🚧Swastikas still on campaign billboards — Billboards funded by a pro-Lombardo PAC featuring Attorney General Aaron Ford (D) and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) remain defaced by swastikas more than two weeks after they were vandalized. As of Monday morning, The Indy found three such billboards around Las Vegas (on Sunset and Buffalo, Charleston and Decatur, and Russell and Jones if you want to see for yourself). The billboards were funded by the Better Nevada PAC, which previously told 8 News Now that they were "taking steps to ensure they are repaired."

• "We are working with Metro to repair any and all billboards highlighting Gavin Newsom's endorsement of Aaron Ford that have been vandalized as they are reported to us," Better Nevada spokesperson John Burke told The Indy on Monday. "We strongly condemn these hateful messages, they have no place in our discourse."

🍽️ More room at the table? Becky Harris, former state senator and nonpartisan candidate running for the County Commission District F seat, is drawing support from both sides of the aisle. Former Democratic candidate Minddie Lloyd recently attended a birthday/campaign event in support of Harris. Lloyd, who appeared in a Facebook video endorsing Harris, lost the Democratic primary to the more progressive Minja Yan. Republican activist and veteran Steve Sanson also attended. In a Facebook post about the event, Tom Letizia, Harris' political consultant, wrote, "Not on the team yet? There's still room at the table." 

✅ What's behind IBEW Local 396's endorsement? After the electrical workers' union endorsed Gov. Joe Lombardo, Jesse Newman, business manager and financial secretary for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 396, wrote in a statement that the decision was based on the governor's record on jobs and the economy

• "We do not expect to agree with any elected official on every issue, nor is that the standard we use when making an endorsement. We look at the issues that matter most to the people we represent: whether they have work, whether that work provides a good living, whether Nevada continues investing in the infrastructure they build, and whether a candidate is willing to listen and work with our union," Newman wrote.

• Reno's IBEW Local 401 did not immediately respond to our question about whether the organization was also endorsing Lombardo.

🤖 AI ads hit Reno City Council race — A newly formed Facebook page called "West Reno Citizens Group" is posting AI-generated ads criticizing Reno City Council candidate Matt Johnson. Data from Meta's ad tracker shows that the ads were paid for by his opponent, Summer Pellett. Johnson is using the ad to fundraise.

— Isabella Aldrete, Oona Milliken, Tabitha Mueller and Eric Neugeboren

Looking Ahead

• Thursday, Aug. 27  — Attorney General Aaron Ford (D) at IndyTalks
• Sunday, Aug. 30 — The Republican Jewish Coalition kicks off its annual summit in Las Vegas

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A post that caught our eye: 

The most Nevada thing ever.

We'll see you next week. 

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