LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — With just two days of early voting left, Democrats lead Republicans statewide by nearly 30,000 votes, with the critical Election Day vote still coming on Tuesday.
About 26% of voters have cast a ballot, either during in-person early voting or by mail. Republicans lead Democrats by more than 7,000 votes in early in-person voting, but Democrats have a more than 36,000-vote lead in mail-in voting as of Wednesday afternoon.
Midterm elections typically have lower turnout than presidential election years, or elections when a U.S. Senate race is at the top of the ticket. In 2022, when U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto was at the top of the ticket, about 55% of all voters cast a ballot.
That year, 51% of voters cast a ballot by mail, 27% voted in person during early voting and 21% turned out on Election Day.
Republicans are counting on the fact that more members of the GOP vote on Election Day than participate in mail-in or early voting. Democrats favor mail-in voting.
WATCH | Nevadans turn out to vote in 2026 general election
Gov. Joe Lombardo, who knocked on some doors in Sun City Summerlin on Wednesday, paused to talk to reporters about the importance of voting.
"You can't dispel or discount the sanctity of the vote, in which it matters," Lombardo said. "Quite often, I tell people, hey you have no, you're in no position to complain about what's going on unless you actually let your voice be heard via your vote."
Lombardo acknowledged he's encountered people who aren't even aware an election was being held, notwithstanding the campaign signs on the side of the road, the campaign texts to people's phones and the ubiquitous ads on television.
"Because they have their own lives," Lombardo said. "They have to deal with their lives on a daily basis and maybe they're not engaged in what's going on publicly or strategically within the political realm. What you have to do is talk to them about it. ... Their vote matters. Proverbially through time and history you always say, 'I'm only one person; my vote doesn't matter.' You've got to convince them, that is not the case."
Lombardo's Democratic rival, Attorney General Aaron Ford, also said voting was critical to the state's future.
"I think it's one of the most important things that we can do," Ford said. "I consider a vote to be an investment in our future. We have children who can't speak for themselves right now. We have individuals who need our voices to speak up for, not only ourselves, but also our future. And this is an opportunity to do exactly that."
Ford said that while some people may not be aware that there's an election in a few days, they are aware of higher prices and the cost of living.
"We need change, and change can start right now. Your vote is your voice, as the adage goes" Ford said. "I'm suggesting that folks get out there. We can lower prescription drug costs. We can lower housing costs. We can lower our energy costs."
If you're not sure if you're registered to vote — or need to update your voter registration, check your voting history or find out who your elected representative are — you can go online to Vote.NV.gov.
You can find an early voting center near you on the Clark County elections website, along with information about Election Day voting centers and all the candidates and contests on the 2026 ballot.
You can return your mail-in ballot using the postal service, but it must be postmarked by Tuesday in order to count. You can also drop off your mail ballot at any voting center, in a drop box. In either case, be sure to sign the outside of your mail-ballot envelope, or your ballot may not be counted. (County officials will attempt to reach voters who returned an unsigned ballot, or those whose signature doesn't match the one on file, in order to verify or "cure" the ballot.
You can find information about ballot curing on the Clark County elections website as well.
Do you have a question about Nevada politics? Ask Steve at Steve.Sebelius@ktnv.com, or by clicking on the banner below.
