Reno, NV (AP) — The rapid turnover among election officials in Nevada continued on Tuesday, when the top election official in the state’s lone swing county abruptly announced her resignation less than a month before early voting commences for the Feb. 6 presidential preference primary.
Washoe County Registrar of Voters Jamie Rodriguez said in her resignation letter that she wanted to pursue opportunities away from elections and spend more time with family ahead of a crucial 2024 election cycle.
Her last day will be March 15, though she will use her accrued time before then.
Eleven of Nevada’s 17 counties have had turnover in top county election positions since the 2020 election, most of which occurred between 2020 and the 2022 midterms, according to an Associated Press tally.
That already included Washoe County, whose past registrar of voters, Deanna Spikula, submitted her resignation in June 2022 in part because she received death threats and harassment.
Washoe County was the subject of an extensive elections audit that found rapid turnover and understaffing among the office hindered smooth election processes, communication with county residents and ballot development and preparation.
The county has hired additional elections staff since then – including Rodriguez’s replacement, current deputy registrar of voters Cari-Ann Burgess, who joined the department in September after previously working in elections in Minnesota and rural Douglas County, Nevada.
In an interview with The Associated Press last month before Rodriguez resigned, Burgess said preparation for the Feb. 6 primary, which will mostly remain symbolic for Republicans, was on schedule and that there had not been a lot of outside inquiries yet about the primary.
“We’re sitting really well,” she said last month. “The road to February sixth is going to be pretty smooth.”