Nevada’s primary election is Tuesday.
In response to COVID-19, all registered voters received a mail-in ballot for the first time.
Aria Overli is a community organizer with ACTIONN, a non-partisan civic engagement group based in Sparks. While some observers were concerned the vote-by-mail system could drive down voter engagement, she thinks it has the potential to do the opposite.
“The primaries aren’t on people’s radar. They might not have even known it was happening, but then they get a ballot in the mail and they go, 'Oh hey, look! I can vote!" she said.
Overli says another advantage Reno-Sparks voters have is the relatively small size of the community, which gives them more direct influence over local policy. Ballots will be counted as long as they’re postmarked on election day.