Bill
AB 178
AB 178 tightens mail-ballot deadlines, cutting cure time to 3 days and eliminating post-election receipt tolerance, while boosting voter notification and post-election reporting.
Status: Introduced Jan 8, 2025. Passed Assembly (3/20/2025, Ayes 53 / Noes 17). Referred to Senate. (As of 4/12/2025: Pursuant to Joint Standing Rule No. 14.3.1, no further action allowed.)
Author/Intro: Assembly bill as introduced (legislative counsel digest lists “Gabriel”; the detailed “As Introduced” text is credited to Assemblymember Gray). Title: Revises provisions relating to elections. (BDR 24‑210)
Overview / Purpose
- AB 178 would amend Nevada election statutes (chapters in NRS 293 and 293C) to modify procedures and deadlines for mail (absentee) ballots, require voter notification and staff training about mail‑ballot rules, and mandate post‑election reporting on mail ballots. The bill also directs the Secretary of State to compile county reports and forward a summary to the Legislative Counsel Bureau.
Key provisions
- Voter notification and training
- Requires the Secretary of State and each county/city clerk to establish procedures to inform registered voters of mail‑ballot requirements (including return deadlines and signature‑cure processes).
- Requires county/city clerks to provide training to election board officers and elections‑division staff on processing and counting mail ballots and on signature‑cure procedures.
- Requires processing/counting procedures to be “fair and efficient.”
- Reporting
- After each election, county/city clerks must submit a mail‑ballot report to the Secretary of State containing:
- number of mail ballots sent; returned; returned by mail vs. personal delivery; returned without signature or with signature defects; number of voters contacted to cure signature defects; and total mail ballots counted.
- Secretary of State must compile county reports and submit a summary to the Director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau (for transmission to the Legislature or Legislative Commission).
- Deadlines and cure windows
- Changes ballot receipt deadline: a mail ballot must be delivered to the county/city clerk before the close of business of the clerk’s office (regardless of whether returned by mail, hand delivery, or drop box). This removes the current provision allowing ballots postmarked by election day to be counted if received up to 4 days after the election.
- Shortens the deadline for voters to cure missing/defective identity documentation or signature issues: from 5 p.m. on the sixth day after the election down to 5 p.m. on the third day after the election.
Who is affected
- Voters who use mail ballots: changes to deadlines and shorter cure windows could reduce the number of ballots successfully cured and counted, and may disadvantage ballots mailed close to Election Day.
- County and city clerks and local elections staff: additional responsibilities for voter notification, staff training, recordkeeping, and regular post‑election reporting.
- Secretary of State’s office: new compilation and reporting duties.
Fiscal and legal notes
- Fiscal note indicates: effect on state government (Yes) and potential fiscal impact on local governments. The bill contains unfunded mandates (identified sections 2, 3, 10, 11), implying counties/cities may incur costs for training, outreach, processing, and reporting without state funding.
Procedural timeline / current status
- Introduced Jan 8, 2025; passed Assembly March 20, 2025 (53–17); transmitted to Senate and referred to committees. As of April 12, 2025, further action is barred under Joint Standing Rule No. 14.3.1, meaning the bill is not proceeding further in the 2025 legislative session.
Potential impacts to note
- Shortening cure period (6 → 3 days) likely reduces time for voters to correct signature/documentation issues, possibly decreasing counted mail ballots.
- Eliminating the postmark‑allowance (receipt up to 4 days after election) tightens the deadline to only ballots actually received before the clerk’s close of business, which may disenfranchise voters who mail ballots near Election Day.
- Compliance costs for counties (training, outreach, reporting) may be material and are identified as unfunded mandates.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
Sign in to ask a question.
