A top election official in a Nevada county key to winning the presidential race has taken a leave of absence with less than six weeks until Election Day.
The race in Nevada will be tight, with recent polls showing Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris slightly ahead of her Republican rival, former President Donald Trump, in the battleground state.
Washoe County’s interim registrar of voters, Cari-Ann Burgess, has taken medical leave due to stress that began on Thursday. The northern Nevada county includes Reno and is Nevada’s second-most populous county after Clark County, where Las Vegas is located.
“She experienced stress issues and requested medical leave,” Washoe County spokeswoman Bethany Drysdale said of Burgess on Friday.
Drysdale said county officials did not know whether Burgess would return before the election and that Deputy Registrar Andrew McDonald has taken over Burgess’ duties. Staff and county administration will help McDonald, Drysdale said, and the Nevada secretary of state’s office is also providing advice and assistance to the county.
AP Photo/John Locher
When reached for comment by Newsweek on Friday afternoon, the Nevada Secretary of State’s office said it “does not comment on county personnel issues. Our office fully supports the Washoe County Manager’s and Registrar’s Offices and we are working closely with them for the successful administration of the 2024 General Election.”
Burgess’s position has experienced high turnover in recent years. In 2022, a previous registrar for Washoe County resigned after receiving numerous threats. Her replacement abruptly left a month before this year’s presidential primary season. Burgess took over this past January.
Burgess’ leave comes as her office prepares for early voting, which includes getting ready to send out mail ballots.
While there have not been documented threats against Burgess or the office, Drysdale told the Associated Press that the workplace was “a stressful environment” and that Burgess and the office had been targeted by negative comments.
Washoe County’s elections operations have been under fire by a committed group of conspiracy theorists ever since Trump lost Nevada to Joe Biden by a slim margin in 2020. The former president has repeatedly claimed that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him via widespread voter fraud. There is no evidence to support such claims.
Elections offices in states like Georgia have beefed up their security in anticipation of Election Day. Cobb County ballot locations will now have a local sheriff and a panic button for poll workers that will connect them immediately to a 911 dispatcher in case of emergencies.
“We will have a secure and safe and efficient election” in November, Drysdale told the AP.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.