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.
More: Nevada early voting: Where to vote or drop off your ballot for 2024 election
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.
How smartphone apps turn your night sky into a space map
Astronomy apps help you spot constellations, planets and satellites in real time using your smartphone.
Skywatchers across the U.S. are about to be treated to a dazzling weekend filled with not only two active meteor showers, but a celestial alignment starring the moon.
For two nights, Earth’s only natural satellite will host a cosmic party with three planets — Mars, Saturn and Uranus.
The phenomenon, often called a planet parade, presents spectators with a rare opportunity to see not only multiple planets, but also the moon, appear close together in the night sky — at least, from Earth’s vantage.
The best part of the show? Most of the striking spectacle — with the exception of Uranus — will be visible to the naked eye.
Here’s everything to know about the rare sight, as well as when, how and where you can see it across the United States.
The moon will appear in the night sky before sunrise on Saturday, July 11 and Sunday, July 12, NASA said in a monthly skywatching guide.
While the term “planet parade” is not an official astronomy term, it is an unofficial way for astronomers and stargazers to refer to certain celestial events.
The planets in our solar system orbit the sun essentially along a line across the sky in a flat disc-shaped plane called the ecliptic.
Another term for a certain kind of planetary alignment, planet parades are what happens when planets line up along the ecliptic in a straight line and appear to us on Earth to be marching across the night sky, according to NASA. So, while planetary alignments themselves aren’t special, it is notable to have an opportunity to observe multiple planets at once.
During the celestial alignment, the moon will be entering a waning crescent phase before we have a new moon, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. That means Earth’s only natural satellite is getting less and less full and bright each night as its crescent gets thinner and thinner, NASA explains.
That’s good news for stargazers, as the moon will still be visible without outshining the planets nearby.
Look toward the eastern sky to catch the cosmic lineup in the early morning.
While the moon will of course be the easiest to locate, Mars will look like a small reddish point of light, while Saturn is also bright and easy to spot, NASA explained in a video.
For the clearest views, there are several places that are an easy drive from Reno where you can get a clear view of the stars, including:
Cloudy conditions may bring relief from the recent heat wave, but they could spoil the early-morning view of the planetary parade in much of northwestern Nevada.
Mars and Saturn are among the five planets in our solar system visible without optical aid — along with Mercury, Venus and Jupiter. Telescopes certainly will enhance the view but spectators don’t need any equipment to spot those planets joining the moon in the pre-dawn sky.
As for Uranus, the planet is typically not as bright — despite being the third largest in our solar system — and will require a telescope to see, NASA said.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com. The Reno Gazette Journal’s Carly Sauvageau and Brett McGinness contributed to this report.
A Nevada man is believed to have suffered a deadly fall while climbing in Oregon.
He’s been identified as 77-year-old Robert Pickering.
Search and rescue crews say they found his body along Mount Washington, northwest of Bend, according to a social media post from the Linn County Sheriff’s Office.
A climbing guide reported hearing a rockslide near the summit after Pickering passed his group.
The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office was one of several groups that assisted in the search.
RENO, Nev. – A homicide suspect from Montana took their own life on Thursday night after police surrounded their car in northwest Reno, reports KTVN 2 News Nevada.
The incident happened in the area of Sharlands Avenue around 9 p.m., according to a spokesperson for the Reno Police Department.
Officers located the suspect and surrounded their car, blocking them in. They then heard a single gunshot and backed away.
Reinforcements were called, and a drone was brought in by UNRPD. It was then confirmed the suspect was in their car, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the news agency reports.
The suspect has not been identified pending the notification of next of kin, and no additional information has been released at this time.
In addition to the Reno Police Department, the Regional Narcotics Unit and Washoe County Sheriff’s Office also responded.
The investigation is ongoing.
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