CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) —Those who harass, intimidate or use force on election workers per-forming their duties in Nevada could soon face up to four years in prison under a new law signed by the Western swing state's Republican governor on Tuesday.
The law is meant to deter attacks against those in state and local election offices who have faced increased scrutiny for doing their jobs, Democratic Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar said Tues-day. Threats and initimidation of election workers had ramped up significantly in Nevada and across the country amid falsehoods and conspiracy theories about foul play denying former Pres-ident Donald Trump victory in the 2020 presidential race.
Other states have taken similar steps to better protect election officials in recent years, including Maine, Vermont, Washington, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
The bill, passed unanimously through both chambers of Nevada's Democratic- controlled Legisla-ture, was a core campaign promise from Aguilar, who cited an exodus of election workers across the state due in part to increased threats. The law also makes it a felony to disseminate personal information about an election worker without their consent.
"I want election workers to know that the secretary of state's office has their back," Aguilar said at the ceremony.
Aguilar stood alongside Republican Gov. Lombardo at the bill signing ceremony - a pair that have recently sparred over Lombardo's proposal to require voter ID, to which Aguilar has op-posed and legislative Democrats have described as a non- starter since the beginning of session.
Over half of the top election officials across Nevada's 17 counties stepped down between the 2020 election and 2022 midterms, with several citing election threats. Many of their staff members had resigned too, along with an exodus of workers in the secretary of state's election department leading up to the 2022 midterms. That was due both to election burnout and better opportunities elsewhere, the office said at the time.
Another bill that recently made it to Lombardo's desk would criminalize so- called "fake electors," or anybody who signed certificates falsely stating when a candidate wins a certain state to the National Archives.
The penalty would be one to four years in state prison with the possibility of probation - the same as it is to harass, intimidate or use force on voters.
The bill was amended before a state Senate vote to prohibit all state officers - including the governor, secretary of state and legislators - from campaign fundraising during the legislative session, which runs every other year from February to early June.