GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump tried unsuccessfully on Tuesday to have some early ballots that were cast in Nevada put on hold, alleging that the presidential election in Las Vegas might be rigged to favor Democrats.
According to the Washington Post, the Trump campaign alleged that the Clark County Registrar of Voters kept the polls open for early voting two hours beyond closing time and that election officials at one Las Vegas early-voting location allowed people to get in line until 10 p.m., two hours after the cutoff time of 8 p.m.
The campaign requested that the names of the poll workers be released, and asked that the ballots in question be impounded so that they could be used as evidence “in the event of postelection challenges.”
The Post reports that the judge in the case denied the request, saying that what the campaign was requesting was already required by law. Attorneys for Clark County also noted that unlike on Election Day, during early voting in Nevada, people are allowed to vote until the lines are done, no matter what time they got in line. On Election Day, you have to be in line by the time the polls close to cast your vote.
Judge Gloria Sturman saw no reason to grant the Trump campaign’s request, since ballots were cast legally.
“I am not going to issue any order,” Sturman said.
Additionally, Sturman advised the Trump campaign that the order did not make sense, because county officials cannot open ballots to figure out who voted at what time in order to sequester votes.
Sturman also said that releasing the names of poll workers would open them up to harassment from “trolls.”
“I am not going to expose people doing their civic duty to help their fellow citizens vote … to public attention, ridicule,and harassment,” Sturman said. “These are people who give up their time. It’s disturbing to me that those individuals might be harassed. Do you watch Twitter? Do you watch any cable news shows?”
The Post reports that in spite of all this, the Trump campaign sees the judge’s ruling as a victory.
Read more at the Washington Post.