The Washoe County Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 Tuesday to certify all primary election results, after refusing to do so at their last meeting, with two recounts under consideration, with Republican Commissioners Clara Andriola and Mike Clark changing their votes.
The lone no was the soft spoken fellow Republican Jeanne Herman who said “there are hills to climb on and there are hills to die on and this might be one of those.”
Clark said he voted to certify with a “heavy heart,” and knew some of his supporters might be disappointed in him. He explained he was voting to certify under extreme duress of possible criminal prosecution and forfeiture of office if he didn't.
Andriola said she previously had several concerns which gave her pause, but that the action to certify had been clarified as being “ministerial only and required.”
“Our responsibility is to follow the law,” she said.
The previous non certification brought national attention and a petition to the Nevada Supreme Court by state officials for the commissioners to certify the election results.
Commissioner Alexis Hill, a Democrat, started out the long meeting calling for decorum and quoting former First Lady Melania Trump about treating each other as humans with families.
“We will treat others with respect. You will not raise your voice. You will not scream or yell. There will be no personal attacks,” she said, and several times asked commenters not to single out Commissioner Andriola by name, after the Republican had called for this certification redo.
The first public commenter to speak, Gaia Brown, a previous contributor to former Democratic Governor Steve Sisolak, wearing a yellow Certify! strap, spoke in favor of supporting “the democratic process.”
Many others spoke against certification, coming to the podium multiple times, wearing a different array of Stars and Stripes and We the People hats. One woman had a red cap which read Make Elections Fair Again. Since former President Donald Trump lost the presidential election in 2020, there have been calls from the right here and elsewhere for abolishing mail-in ballots, going to hand recounts, and changing ID requirements.
