Monday, Nov. 4, 2024 | 9:50 p.m.
U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, the presidential running mate of Republican nominee former President Donald Trump, urged supporters in Las Vegas last month to vote early in the race against Vice President Kamala Harris.
“We are now in a world where early voting, mail-in voting, Election Day voting, these are all the methods that we have to vote,” Vance said. “And if Kamala Harris’ team is using everything, and we’re only using one of those methods of voting, then we’re going to get killed.”
The preferred method of participating for Republicans had long been in-person on Election Day. That trend changed in Nevada — just like Vance hoped.
About 52% of Nevada’s 2 million active registered voters have participated in the 2024 presidential election through Monday, the secretary of state said.
Republicans have cast 405,602 ballots entering Election Day, about 43,000 more ballots than registered Democrats at 362,424 votes. There have been 304,614 nonpartisans or other voters who have participated.
The 1,072,640 votes account for all three available methods — mail-in, in-person, and EASE ballots. EASE is an online system, initially created for military and overseas voters, and now can be accessed by people with a disability and, for the first time this year, tribal voters living on a reservation or colony.
“We’ve seen over the last two weeks of early voting that the process has been smooth for voters, and we’re expecting the same through Election Day,” Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar said on Friday, the last day of in-person early voting.
Monday’s data shows Democrats leading Clark County with 270,526 ballots cast, and Republicans trailing with 252,149 and “other” voters with 218,665. Half of Clark’s eligible voters, about 1.5 million people, have already participated in the election.
“I hate to tell you this, but Nevada is falling behind,” Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., told supporters Thursday at a Harris campaign rally in reference to early voting numbers. “We cannot let that happen.”
Nevada’s six electoral votes have gone to the Democratic candidate in the race for the White House since President Barack Obama’s win in 2008. But it’s been close, including President Joe Biden’s win over Trump by about 30,000 votes in 2020.
Polling indicates 2024 will also be close, meaning turnout will be vital for Democrats to stay in the Oval Office.
Nevadans are also voting on a crucial U.S. Senate race pitting Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., against challenger Sam Brown in a race that could determine the voting majority of the upper chamber of Congress.
The politically powerful Culinary Local 226, which represents 60,000 hospital workers, is trying to do its part to engage voters.
Canvassers representing Culinary attempted to knock on more than 900,000 doors and talk to over 130,000 voters. The union endorsed the Democrat in every federal race.
“We are mobilizing our communities to ensure their voices are heard in every corner of Nevada because the path to victory and the White House runs right through Nevada and Culinary Union members, who need strong political leaders like Kamala Harris and Sen. Jacky Rosen who will confront corporate greed and lower rent, gas, and grocery prices,” said Ted Pappageorge, the union’s leader in a news release.