Turnout on the first day of early voting was “crazy,” George Guthrie, spokesperson for the Washoe County Registrar of Voters, said Saturday.
“It’s definitely a lot busier than it has been in the primary and the presidential preference primary,” with people voting in person or dropping off mail-in ballots, Guthrie said. “We’re actually seeing lines at some vote centers.”
One of those lines was at South Valleys Library, where over 100 people were queued up at 10:30 a.m. Several of them said election security concerns brought them out to vote in person or drop their mail-in ballot off.
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Christie and David Phillips were among the first in line to use the voting machines. The Washoe residents said they don’t trust the system and voting in person is the only way to make sure their vote is counted.
“Nevada’s got the mail-in balloting and we don’t trust that,” David Phillips said. “They need to take that away. Return it back to the way it used to be.”
The line was moving slowly, but the Phillipses said they were “guinea pigs” because the election workers were still getting used to the new digital voting system.
“But they were really great in there,” Christie Phillips said.
Guthrie said the new Voter Registration and Election Management System, or VREMS, will take some getting used to for both election workers and voters, so he encouraged voters to check the voting center wait times online.
The VREMS system centralizes voter data across the state, rather than by county, which elections administrators say reduces the potential for errors. It went live earlier this year, and this is the first election the system is being used.
Carol and Ron Moschetti said they were willing to wait because they know the process is slower with the new security measures.
“I really believe that they’re just trying to figure it out. I think this was their trial run and they’ll figure it out. No complaints,” Ron Moschetti said.
Jennifer and James Massey came down to early vote just to get it over with. They are wary of mail-in ballots and have some business trips coming up, so they wanted to make sure they got their votes in in time. They placed their ballots in the dropbox.
“I felt very comfortable with the process,” Jennifer Massey said.
As for the election itself, James Massey called it a “circus.”
Jennifer Massey agreed, saying she was tired of hearing candidates dish out negative comments. She wished they would focus on specific policies and what they want to do to help the American people.
“Both candidates are idiots. This is the worst year of elections I can remember,” James Massey said.
Mike and Lindy Leonard, Nancy and Gary Rinehert and Susan and Craig Bambrough were among those who didn’t have to wait in line — they stopped by to drop off their mail-in ballots before they headed off to breakfast.
All three couples said it was an easy process. They filled out their ballots beforehand and went straight to the much shorter drop-off line to confirm their signatures.
“We could see how well it was running. They’re doing a good job,” Lindy Leonard said of election workers.
Mike Leonard said their top concern is keeping elections fair. His wife agreed, saying she believed the last presidential election was not fair.
“I think a lot of people feel the same,” Lindy Leonard said, pointing to the large turnout as a sign that many others agree with her.
Nancy Rinehert said she was baffled by the results of the last presidential election because she remembers thousands of people showing up in the freezing cold to vote on Election Day, many of them Republicans. Joe Biden won Washoe County in 2020 by 5 percentage points.
The six Washoe residents said everyone needs to get out and vote.
“You’re voting by not voting,” Mike Leonard said.
“Nobody is going to have everything that you want, so pick your poison,” Lindy Leonard said. “Someone is going to get elected.”
Early voting runs through Nov. 1. Election Day is Nov. 5.
Jaedyn Young covers local government for the Reno Gazette-Journal. Her wages are 100% funded by donations and grants; if you’d like to see more stories like this one, please consider donating at RGJ.com/donate. Send your story ideas and feedback to Jaedyn at jyoung@rgj.com.
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — A string of deadly crashes in and around Pahrump has prompted Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill to push for more safety measures along dark, sidewalk-free roads.
“The worst penalty is death, if you consider that,” McGill said.
The recent deaths include a single-vehicle rollover on State Route 160 during the morning hours of the last Wednesday in January that killed one person and injured another.
Then, into February, two pedestrians were killed in less than three days.
The first was a 7 p.m. crash on Quarter Horse Avenue. Investigators believe a 2006 Jeep Liberty was driving on the street when it hit a pedestrian, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
A few days later, this last Saturday, state troopers responded to a crash just after sundown at Charleston Park Avenue. A sedan hit a pedestrian, who was also pronounced dead at the scene.
Nevada State Police investigators are still investigating both pedestrian cases before more details are released.
McGill said the recent crashes were enough to spur action.
“When the third one came out, I was sitting at home and watching TV. I looked at my wife and I said, ‘We got to do something about this,’” McGill said.
McGill is responding with a reflective vest giveaway, pointing to limited infrastructure as a possible factor. He noted a lack of street lights off State Route 160 and no sidewalks inside the community.
“The only light that you have is the ambient light from houses and cars so it is really dark,” McGill said.
John Treanor of AAA Nevada said poor visibility can quickly turn dangerous for both drivers and pedestrians.
“It is very easy to be confronted with a situation that you cannot see coming because the visibility might be bad,” Treanor said.
Treanor encouraged pedestrians to carry lights and drivers to be prepared if they end up outside their vehicles in dark conditions.
“Having lights on you. Even carrying a flashlight allows something where a driver can see it,” Treanor said. “If you are a driver, make sure you have the right stuff in your car, in case you do get in a situation where you are on the side of the road and now you are in dark. Make sure you have a kit with some reflectors, some lights. Anything the trunk of your car in case you need it.”
McGill said vigilance is important even in daylight.
“Any time of the day, you have got to be vigilant. You have to keep aware of your surroundings if you are a walker or on a bicycle or if you are the driver,” he said.
Authorities also urged caution as more people may pull off roads in rocky areas along the route toward Death Valley National Park during springtime blooms, increasing the need for drivers and pedestrians to stay alert.
A waterfront mansion on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe just sold for $46 million, less than three weeks after hitting the market.
The speedy deal marks a departure from the typical U.S. market.
Nationwide, homes took a median 78 days to land a buyer in January, five more than the same time last year and the 22nd straight month of homes taking longer to sell on a year-over-year basis, according to data from Realtor.com.
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The lavish log cabin-like residence, in Incline Village, listed on Jan. 24 for $47.5 million. It sold 20 days later, on Feb. 13, listing records show.
The more than 7,000-square-foot residence was built in 2014, and has double-height living spaces, walls of windows, beamed ceilings, fireplaces, and plenty of rustic exposed stone and wood, listing images show.
There’s also a gym, a wet bar, a spa, a wine room, an office, two separate game rooms, seven bedrooms and dramatic Lake Tahoe views. Outside, there’s a private sandy beach, multiple decks, a heated driveway and two exterior fireplaces, according to listing information.
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The seller and the buyer are both limited liability companies, according to property records. Both parties were represented by Jeff Brown of Tahoe Mountain Realty, who declined to comment on the deal.
The median home price in Incline Village was $1.595 million as of December, a fall of 3.3% from a year earlier, according to data from Realtor.com. Listings, meanwhile, spent an average of 130 days on the market.
Updated February 26, 2026 – 8:28 pm
click to expand photos
Green Valley’s softball team claimed an 8-6 win at Liberty on Thursday on the first day of high school spring sports competition in Nevada.
Green Valley next hosts Silverado at 3 p.m. Friday. Liberty plays at Bishop Gorman at 3 p.m. Friday.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
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