'Nevadans get to decide what the country's priorities are': Secretary of State talks election trends with early voting

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - Since early voting began in Clark County, more than 490,000 votes have been cast at local polling sites .

Secretary of State, Cisco Aguilar explains who these people are based on trends his office is seeing with early voting turnout.

Whether you're voting red or blue, Aguilar says he's encouraged by people coming out in droves.

Democrats usually have the advantage with early voting, but not right now.

The Secretary of State thinks he knows why.

"I think it's about voter education. I think getting Nevadans as a whole to understand the value of early voting, to understand the value of a mail ballot, being able to vote on your terms," Aguilar said.

The numbers as of Tuesday, October 29th show more registered Republicans across the state have voted early, casting nearly 38,000 more votes than Democrats.

But those categorized as "other" have cast around 185,000 votes.

"Watching voters come out in the way that they're coming, I don't think has happened before," Aguilar said.

Secretary Aguilar adds he's noticed Nevadans have changed the way they vote, and that his department is making adjustments.

"We understand that. We're trying to adapt to that process," Aguilar said. "We're trying to be more transparent, but at the end of the day, Nevada runs some of the safest, secure and accessible elections in the country."

What other trends is he seeing as he talks to voters? He says Nevadans value the same things.

"We care about our community," Aguilar said. "We care about the education of our kids. We care about our economy, we care about strong jobs, we care about the environment, and we care about Nevada continuing to grow."

Aguilar says his department cares about getting answers quickly and doesn't want states waiting on Nevada like they have before.

"We have a responsibility to start to build that capacity to ensure we are processing mail ballots in a way that gives us the opportunity to provide the results as close to election night as possible," Aguilar said. "Nevada is at the forefront of the entire country, and we as Nevadans get to decide what the country's priorities are, and that's a pretty significant role."

In the 2022 midterm elections, about 8% of Nevadans voted in-person before election day or by mail.

Early voting runs through November 1st, 2024.