RENO, Nev. (News 4 & Fox 11) — The early voting numbers in Washoe County this year have smashed the previous record from 2012, when Barack Obama and Mitt Romney vied for the presidency.
The county’s previous high was 111,000 people in 2012. Nearly 130,000 residents have already cast their ballots before Election Day.
For the Grows, Keely and Darby are voting for the first time. The twins turned 18 in August and had tuned into the presidential race. They’ve also said they did their research before stepping into the voting booth.
“It’s our civic duty. We might as well do it now rather than putting it off,” said Keely. “I thought it was pretty awesome to go out and have that experience of that responsibility on your shoulders.”
On the other side of the county, 99-year-old Flora Green of the Paiute Tribe has seen enough in her lifetime, and she knew who she wanted as the president.
Green was in boarding school when the 19th Amendment granted American women the right to vote on August 18, 1920. She also witnessed the U.S. government granting Native Americans the right to vote. However, this is the first time Green has voted on the reservation.
This comes weeks after a federal court ruled that the Pyramid Lake and Walker River Paiute Tribes should have in-person early voting, as well as an Election Day voting, on the reservation.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016. Polls in Washoe County will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Source: MyNews4; 11.5.16
