Washoe County announced Wednesday it would comply with a federal judge’s ruling and open a polling site in Nixon, the tribal capital for the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe.
The tribe had been embroiled in a federal voter rights lawsuit with the county over access to polling locations and voter registration. Tribal members had to drive more than 90 miles round-trip for early voting in Sparks and more than 30 miles round trip for Election Day polling in Wadsworth.
The Pyramid Lake Paiutes filed suit along with the Walker River Paiutes in Mineral County after the counties denied their requests for satellite voter registration, early voting and Election Day polling locations.
Federal Judge Miranda Du ruled on Friday that polling access was inequitable and ordered the counties comply with the polling location requests.
Washoe County Registrar Luanne Cutler said she declined to appeal the decision in part because the election was forthcoming.
“We needed to take action and we felt that was the most important thing to do was to make sure everyone got the service they needed,” she said.
The new Nixon polling place will be located at the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Administration Office at 208 Capitol Hill. Early voting will take place from Oct. 24-29 and Oct. 31-Nov. 4. Times are still being worked out, Cutler said. Anyone, not just tribal members, can vote at the early polling location.
Election Day polling will take place on Nov. 8 at the same location from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Precincts 7581 in Nixon and 7589 in Little Nixon will both vote at the Nixon site. Wadsworth and Sutcliffe voters will still be at their assigned spots from previous elections.
Bret Healy, a spokesman for the group Four Directions that oversaw the suit, said he planned to continue working with the county through the election.
“That’s a step forward for progress,” he said.
Source: Reno Gazette-Journal; 10.12.16
