RENO, Nev. (KOLO) -The Department of Justice has notified Nevada’s Secretary of State they will send observers to watch our elections.
Secretary Cisco Aguilar says he welcomes anyone who wants to watch democracy in action.
“Under Nevada law anyone can be an observer,” says Aguilar. “And they can be an observer as long as they follow the law, they remain in the observer’s space and be respectful of the polling location manager and the poll workers.”
Aguilar’s office received a letter from the Department of Justice to confirm their presence at election sites on November 3, 2026.
When they do show up to an election center, they will be relegated to the observer section where they can watch the process. Voters checking in, entering voting booths, and then feeding their ballot into a vote center scanner can all be viewed from their section.
They cannot interrupt the process. They must come in as an individual with no indication they are affiliated with a group.
What if ICE comes in?
Secretary Aguilar gets this question frequently.
He says there’s a difference between DOJ observers and federal law enforcement. He says he doesn’t know if ICE or other federal law enforcement will try to disrupt our voting process. And he is not willing to speculate.
What he does say, such activity is against state law. Registrars and poll managers will assess each situation, and if need be, local law enforcement will enforce the law.
“Let’s be very accurate,” says Aguilar. “Let’s make sure it is occurring for real before we react to the situation. Because we can’t have a false response. Because a false response is just as dangerous as them actually be present at a polling location.”
Aguilar says there is an Election Integrity Task Force which includes the Secretary of State, The Governor’s Office, The Attorney General’s Office, local law enforcement, state law enforcement, who are in a central location and are monitoring what is going on in the state.
Aguilar says they will respond collectively if something verifiable happens.
DOJ observers will be in Clark County on Election Day.
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