LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Just over half of Nevada’s ballots cast in the 2022 general were mail ballots, according to a thorough study released by the federal government.
Nevada is one of eight states that allowed universal mail balloting in the midterm election.
At 50.7%, the state’s mail ballots were far below levels of the seven other states that allow voters to participate by mail without restrictions. Oregon (99.6%), Washington (99.0%) and Hawaii (95.0%) led the charge in voting by mail.
The Election Administration and Voting Survey 2022 Comprehensive Report contained statistics on a variety of details from the midterm election, with comparisons to previous elections.
The report showed that voting practices that were turned upside down during the pandemic in 2020 started to return to normal across the nation. In-person voting numbers increased to 49% nationwide, with 31.9% of voters casting their ballots by mail.
Early in-person voting returned to 2018 levels, with a percentage nearly identical to 2018.
“Although the use of mail voting decreased in 2022 compared to the 2020 general election, mail voting rates remained higher than pre-pandemic levels, at 31.9% of voters participating in the 2022 election who cast their ballots by mail. Almost half of all voters voted in person on Election Day. More than two-thirds of voters cast their ballots in person (either on or before Election Day) for the 2022 general election,” according to the report.
The report also laid out the number of mail ballots that were rejected.
A total of 10,355 ballots were rejected in Nevada, amounting to about 2.0% of all mail ballots returned. Only one ballot was rejected in Idaho, where 128,723 votes were cast by mail. Delaware rejected 13.2% of the 19,027 mail ballots cast.
See the full 292-page report here. The tables of election data begin on page 39 — Appendix A.
Here’s a breakdown of some of the Nevada statistics contained in the report:
- Total active registered voters: 1,840,748
- Total eligible voters: 2,193,360
- Total voter turnout: 1,021,780
- Turnout as % of active registration: 55.5%
- Turnout as % of eligible voters: 46.6%
- Total in-person Election Day ballots cast and counted: 210,325
- Total in-person early votes: 281,760
- Total mail ballots cast and counted: 518,398
- Percentage turnout by mail: 50.7%
- Total mail ballots transmitted: 1,873,813
- Total mail ballots returned: 528,753
- Percentage of mail ballots returned: 28.2%
- Total mail ballots counted: 518,398
- Percentage of mail ballots counted (of total returned): 98.0%
- Total mail ballots rejected: 10,355
- Percentage of rejected ballots (of total returned): 2.0%
- Total ballots returned by drop box: 145,179
- Percentage of ballots returned by drop box: 27.5%
- Mail ballots cured: 12,553
- Percentage of cured ballots (of total returned): 2.4%
The report also shows that requirements for when mail ballots must be received vary widely across the country. Page 120 of the report shows the rules for each state.
In Nevada, a mail ballot must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received four calendar days after Election Day. Washington state’s rule puts that requirement at 20 days after Election Day. A total of 23 states require that the ballot must be received by Election Day.