Nevada Elections Office adopts three regulations on waivers, reporting and candidate security; package heads to Legislative Commission

The Office of the Secretary of State 26s Elections Division adopted three proposed regulations at a multi-site adoption hearing that will next go to the Legislative Commission on Feb. 26 at 1 p.m.

At the hearing, Deputy Secretary of State Mark Volasian said the package aims to "increase security, transparency, and accessibility" in election administration while staying within statutory authority. The three adopted items are LCB files R089-25 (waivers/reductions of campaign-finance penalties), R090-25 (a broad consolidation and update of election rules that includes expanded election-data reporting), and R095-25 (a definition of campaign spending on "personal security").

R089-25 clarifies what constitutes "good cause" when the Secretary of State grants a waiver or reduction of civil penalties for campaign-finance violations, and extends quarterly public-reporting requirements to include penalty reductions as well as waivers. Volasian emphasized that the first step for any missed report remains filing the underlying disclosure so the public record is complete before any waiver is considered.

R090-25 consolidates and amends multiple existing regulations across Title 24. Among its changes, it will require counties to report additional daily mail-ballot counts (including a 30-day after-election series of daily receipts) and to distinguish between mail ballots "received on Election Day" and those "counted on Election Day." Volasian said the distinction reflects the ballot lifecycle (initial scan, duplicate-vote checks, signature verification and cure, and final acceptance) and is intended to give both the public and policy makers a clearer view of election operations and resource needs.

R095-25 implements direction from the recent special session to clarify what campaign-related security expenses are permitted. The regulation enumerates items that may be reported as campaign expenses for personal security, listing examples such as marksmanship training and fees for concealed-carry permits, purchase of body armor, costs to install and monitor a home security system, and fees for services that remove personal information from internet sites. The Office said these items must still be reported on campaign finance reports.

Public comment during the hearing was limited; callers asked clarifying questions about how the regulations interact with existing statutes. Volasian repeatedly stated the regulations do not change statutes and noted that the authority for the rules rests on Nevada Revised Statutes, including NRS 293.124 (establishing the Secretary of State as Chief Officer of Elections) and NRS 293.247 (authority to adopt regulations for election conduct). Written public comments submitted before the hearing were entered into the record.

All three regulations were announced as adopted at the hearing and will be formally presented to the Legislative Commission at its Feb. 26 meeting. The Elections Division provided contact information for follow-up questions and said the final text reflecting on-the-record amendments will be available prior to that meeting.