AB 491: Revises provisions relating to elections. (BDR 24-570) - Nevada

Reprint 2 → As Enrolled · 5 edits · Jun 5, 2025

MODERATE

This bill updates Nevada election laws by requiring county and city clerks to respond to information requests from the Secretary of State within two working days. It also adds a new eligibility requirement for most elected officials to be registered to vote in the district they serve, with a one-year transition period for current officeholders. Additionally, the bill mandates that declarations of candidacy and residency be made available to the public in electronic formats.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of election administration by adding a specific response deadline for clerks and broadens eligibility requirements to include voter registration status for a wide range of state and local offices.

REQUIREMENT

County and city clerks must provide requested election data or an explanation of when it will be available within two working days of the Secretary of State's request.

Declarations of candidacy, residency, and eligibility must be made available to the public in an electronic format.

ELIGIBILITY

Most elected public officers must now be registered to vote in the specific district or area they represent, in addition to actually residing there.

Candidates for district attorney positions are exempt from the new residency declaration requirements found in the previous version of the bill.

EXEMPTIONS

The voter registration requirement does not apply to current officeholders as of October 1, 2025, giving them one year to comply.

As Introduced → Reprint 1 · 3 edits

MINOR

This bill updates the deadline for county and city clerks to respond to election data requests from the Secretary of State, changing the requirement from a strict 48-hour window to the end of the second calendar day. It also clarifies the residency requirement for candidates, ensuring they have actually lived in the area for 30 days before filing, and removes a specific mention of revising candidacy petition deadlines from the summary while retaining the substantive change in the text.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on election administration and candidate qualifications, but the timeline for data requests is adjusted to be more practical for clerks.

TIMELINE

The deadline for county and city clerks to respond to election data requests was extended from 48 hours to the end of the second calendar day.

REQUIREMENT

The Legislative Counsel's Digest was updated to clarify that candidates must actually reside in the required area for 30 days before filing, rather than just constructively residing there.

The summary of changes was edited to remove a specific mention of revising petition filing deadlines, though the bill text still contains provisions regarding those deadlines.

Reprint 1 → Reprint 2 · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill was reprinted to reflect amendments adopted on May 21, 2025, updating the effective date for certain provisions and clarifying the timeline for election data requests. The changes ensure that county and city clerks have until the second working day (rather than calendar day) to respond to Secretary of State data requests, and expand the list of elected officials required to be registered to vote in Nevada.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on election administration and candidate qualifications, but the applicability of the registration requirement now explicitly includes additional state and local officials such as the Board of Regents, general improvement district directors, and water district directors.

TIMELINE

Changed the deadline for county or city clerks to respond to Secretary of State election data requests from the end of the second calendar day to the end of the second working day.

REQUIREMENT

Updated the list of elected officials who must be registered to vote in Nevada to include the Board of Regents, general improvement district directors, and water district directors.

Clarified that the voter registration requirement for elected officials applies to the specific area where the officer is required to reside and will have jurisdiction if elected.

ELIGIBILITY

Added a new requirement that candidates must have registered to vote in the area where they will have jurisdiction or represent if elected.

TECHNICAL

Updated the reprint date from April 18, 2025 to May 21, 2025 to reflect the latest amendments.

Revises provisions relating to elections. (BDR 24-570)

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