Lombardo Caves to MAGA Pressure on Elections, Urges Nevada to Plug Voter Rolls Into Trump’s SAVE System

NEVADA - Five weeks before Election Day, Governor Joe Lombardo is urging Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar to use the Trump’s administration's SAVE system to verify voter eligibility. In a September 30 letter, Lombardo wrote that it is “contingent upon the State of Nevada to work with the federal government to ensure that every registered voter is a lawful citizen” and encouraged “all legal means” to verify citizenship status in the lead-up to the election. 

The letter follows a Supreme Court order staying a lower court’s block on the expanded SAVE program. But it also undercuts Lombardo’s own argument. It also undercuts Lombardo's own argument. He writes that elections "should be administered by the states," then says it is "contingent upon the State of Nevada" to work with the federal government to ensure every registered voter is a lawful citizen. 

Lombardo offers no evidence of a problem in Nevada that requires this step. Instead, his letter echoes a national MAGA talking point that casts doubt on election systems that have repeatedly been shown to work, and it risks confusion and errors for eligible voters, including naturalized citizens, who could be wrongly flagged this close to an election.

Shelbie Swartz, Executive Director of Battle Born Progress, issued the following statement: 

“Nevada runs its own election, and Joe Lombardo knows it. Our elections are secure because of the work Nevadans do every cycle: county clerks and poll workers of both parties, signature verification, regular list maintenance, and post-election audits. Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar and our election officials do that work every day. When Donald Trump’s DHS went hunting for noncitizens on Nevada’s voter rolls, it started by claiming nearly 16,000 noncitizens voted, but after election officials checked the names, there was no evidence of any noncitizens on Nevada’s voter rolls. Instead of standing with the people who run our elections and defending the system they've built, Lombardo is doing Trump's bidding, pushing the state to lean on the same administration whose claims fell apart just weeks before an election. If he has evidence of a real problem here, he should show it to Nevadans. If he doesn't, this is about politics, not integrity. Voters want to trust that their ballots will count, and they shouldn't have to wonder whether a last-minute federal process will get in the way. Nevadans deserve a governor who protects their freedom to vote, not one who caves to the far right” 

Kerry Durmick, Nevada State Director of All Voting is Local Action, issued the following statement:

“The governor’s insistence on pressuring Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar to use the faulty federal system to verify voter registration after the state disproved bogus allegations of ineligible voters on Nevada’s voter rolls is deeply irresponsible and unnecessary. The SAVE system, with its high rate of false positives, wastes election officials' time and resources and has no place in our elections, particularly with Election Day just around the corner. States run elections, and Nevada’s team of hardworking election officials works tirelessly to ensure voters in the Silver State trust the system. By continuing to ensure that Nevada’s elections are free from desperate attempts at federal interference, whether it be the use of the SAVE system, frivolous DOJ lawsuits desperately trying to get sensitive voter data, or threats of federal law enforcement at the polls, SOS Aguilar is protecting our elections and our freedom as Nevadans.”

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