Voter registration is the errand that waits for the license, and then it is easy to forget. Your old registration does not carry over to Nevada, and an election can arrive while you are still unpacking. This page sets out the residence rules from Nevada law and the places in Washoe County where you can register or check your status.
Who can register
NRS 293.485 says a person is entitled to vote at an election if they are a citizen of the United States, 18 years of age or over, have continuously resided in the state and the county for 30 days and in the precinct for 10 days before the election, and have registered in the manner the chapter provides. The statute also allows registration for people whose 18th birthday or completion of the residence period falls on or before the election.
Nevada also lets 17 year olds who have lived in the state for 30 days or longer preregister, and they are deemed registered on their 18th birthday if they meet the voter qualifications then.
How to register
NRS 293.517 lists several ways: by appearing before the county clerk, a field registrar or a voter registration agency, by mailing or delivering an application, with a field registrar at your home, or by submitting an application by computer through the system run by the Secretary of State. The Washoe County Registrar of Voters links to the state's online registration site at registertovote.nv.gov from its Register to Vote page.
The county must see official identification as proof of residence and identity, such as a driver's license or another official document. If you register without it, you must provide it before voting in person or by mail, or after casting a provisional ballot. A voter registration card does not count as proof.
A sensible order after a move
- Get your Nevada driver's license; it gives you an official document with your new street address. See the license page.
- Register or update your registration, using the same name and address as on the license.
- Check your registration on the Washoe County Registrar of Voters page, which has a tool for checking voter registration.
- Look up your vote center and your sample ballot when they are posted, since the Registrar publishes both for each election.
- If your name changed, file a new application. Nevada law requires a new application for a changed name.
What else the Registrar's page offers
The Washoe County Registrar of Voters page also covers voting by mail, accessible voting, vote center locations, confidential voters, voters experiencing homelessness, voters with criminal convictions, and uniformed and overseas voters. Election results, turnout and election district maps are posted there too.
Your driver's license address and your voter registration should match, so register after the license is in hand.
Where it fits in the whole move
Voter registration is one of the quieter tasks on the first 30, 60 and 90 days list, and it is easiest when done in the same week as the license. Your school registration and utility accounts use the same address, so keep one folder of proof for all of them.