The U.S. Department of Justice has requested Nevada hand over its voter roll data and other voting information related to President Donald Trump’s March executive order that sought to overhaul the nation’s election system.

In the final days of the legislative session, it looked like major changes could be coming to state elections. But Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed many election bills, meaning voters, candidates and elected officials should not expect big changes.

It wasn’t enough to want to do something, though. Lawmakers also needed to find and attract entrepreneurs willing to provide card processing services at lower costs to Nevada’s businesses.

The Republican governor’s final veto tally stood at 87, breaking his own record for most bills rejected from a single legislative session.

More than a dozen bills introduced during this year’s legislative session have sought to regulate or expand the use of AI, including to prevent its use in certain mental health settings and use it to give SNAP recipients discounted food.

Tuesday’s deadline is expected to result in the death of only a handful of measures, as more than 200 bills have been exempted.

Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar said the order calls for safeguards that already exist in Nevada and that his office is determining how to proceed.

The top Democrat and Republican in the Assembly are joining forces on a bill that would require all sample ballots to be sent to voters before mail ballots are distributed. An amendment also would provide a clearer timeline for when mail ballots must be sent to voters.

The bill would require the addition of at least 10 drop boxes in Clark County and five in Washoe County. It’s the latest effort by legislative Democrats to speed up ballot counting without shortening the time frame on when mail ballots can be received.

The secretary of state's office is eyeing reforms to the process, as the only way that state officials could force the fines to be paid is through a resource-intensive lawsuit.

The Indy’s Nevada Policy Tracker is a guide to the storylines expected to make the biggest splash in the coming months.

Welcome to our first edition of Behind the Bar for the 83rd legislative session. The newsletter will have a slightly different format this year but still provide you with essential updates on the Legislature twice a week (possibly more).

An intrepid columnist shares a satirical imagining of Michele Fiore’s inauguration as Nevada’s 32nd governor.

In an interview with The Nevada Independent, Aguilar said many of the ballot counting difficulties likely stemmed from staffing levels in Clark and Washoe counties, despite efforts by both counties this year to accelerate ballot processing. 

In a Friday letter sent to Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, the county said the votes were stuck in the “duplication stage” of the counting process, but have now been counted and were always under county control.

The signatures on more than 23,000 mail ballots were successfully cured in this month’s election, while more than 9,000 mail ballots had inadequate signatures and were not counted. 

The lack of certification drama so far this week is a return to how the typically routine process worked before Trump lost his bid for re-election four years ago.

Like several of her Senate Democratic colleagues running in tight races, Rosen was able to win re-election despite former President Donald Trump winning the state at the top of the ticket. With her win, Democrats have retained a critical swing-state seat. By flipping seats in West Virginia, Ohio and Montana, Republicans have now taken control of the upper chamber. Races in Arizona and Pennsylvania, two seats held by Democrats, have yet to be called.

Nevadans could once again have to wait days until the presidential winner is declared, but changes to state counting rules mean there will be more results published earlier in the night on Election Day.

In a 50-minute discussion at IndyFest, panelists also addressed the potential of a voter ID requirement and concerns about post-election unrest.