Dismissal in Nevada Case a Win for Voting Rights
LAS VEGAS — A mass voter challenge lawsuit brought forward in Washoe County by a conservative nonprofit organization that resulted in direct intervention by the ACLU of Nevada and the American Civil Liberties Union has been dismissed with prejudice. The dismissal ensures voters in Washoe County can participate in the November election without fear of being wrongfully removed from the rolls and disenfranchised.
The lawsuit, initiated by the Citizen Outreach Foundation and brought against Washoe County, sought to purge over 11,000 voters, several of whom are ACLUNV members, from Nevada’s voter rolls and prompted the ACLU of Nevada and ACLU to intervene in the matter. Federal law prohibits large-scale voter purges within 90 days of an election, and Nevada law requires that challenges to voter residency be based on personal knowledge — standards the petitioners did not meet and which the ACLU of Nevada was prepared to raise during Tuesday’s hearing in the Washoe County case.
ACLU of Nevada executive director Athar Haseebullah said:
“This case was an alarming attempt to disenfranchise thousands of eligible voters, but Nevadans’ voting rights are not up for grabs. This outcome protects voters who were directly targeted by this challenge, including ACLU of Nevada members. As was the case here, if any person or organization anywhere in Nevada should attempt to undermine this election or to engage in voter suppression efforts, it will prompt our direct intervention, and we will pursue all remedies available to us under law.”
ACLU of Nevada voting rights attorney Sadmira Ramic said:
“The improper challenges brought by the petitioners based solely on unreliable data would have jeopardized participation of thousands of eligible voters in the upcoming election, including military members and their spouses. This outcome is a positive one for Nevada voters and is a reminder that we must remain vigilant. We’ve seen this type of effort to undermine our voting rights across the country, and we will continue to stand firm in the fight to ensure no voter is wrongfully purged from the rolls.”
Jonathan Topaz, a staff attorney with the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, said:
“This is a great victory for Nevada voters. Mere weeks before a presidential election, one outside group tried to remove tens of thousands of registered voters in Washoe county, in violation of state and federal law. We are thrilled that this last-minute attempt at mass disenfranchisement has been dismissed.”
