Why Clark County identified more than 100,000 registered voters as ‘inactive’

The status of more than 100,000 registered voters in Clark County has been set to “inactive” after election officials could not reach them at home.

But as long as they actually still live in the county, the 102,267 affected residents will be able to cast their ballot in November, the county said.

Their inactive status will prevent them from receiving “election-related materials,” including mail-in ballots, until they update their address.

The voter roll cleanup occurred Wednesday, the county said. It’s part of a “routine list maintenance” done every federal election year, in which registration cards are sent to registered voters.

“If the Postal Service notifies the Election Department that the voter has moved from the address at which he/she registered or if non-forwardable election mail is returned as undeliverable, the voter is sent a forwardable postcard asking the voter to update his/her address,” according to the county.

Those persons have 30 days to respond before they’re deemed inactive, the county said.

The Nevada Secretary of State’s Office said that 156,996 notices were sent to registered voters seeking an address confirmation. They had until Wednesday to reply.

The figure represented nearly 8 percent of Nevada registered voters.

“The list maintenance process is an incredibly important part of the electoral process – it ensures all eligible, active registered voters get the most up-to-date election information and critical election mail in a timely manner,” a county statement said.

The county removed 60,740 voters from the rolls after the 2022 election, because they were deemed inactive prior to the 2020 election and had not voted since.

Clark County residents can challenge their inactive status, or update their address at the county’s registered voter services department. They can also call 702-455-VOTE (8683).

As of Monday afternoon, 1.37 million people were registered to vote in Clark County.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.