Why we can support voting options and election security

A conservative’s response to the National Review and Nevada pundit

By Brittany Sheehan  

I’ve been reading the takes about Nevada’s voting methods, including the recent National Review piece about GOP groups spending millions to encourage early voting and mail ballots in 2024. Then I see a local political pundit jumping on that story like he’s found some gotcha moment. Let me tell you what they’re both missing.

What I’ve Learned Canvassing Door to Door

I’ve spent countless hours canvassing neighborhoods across America. When people ask me which way they should vote, I give them the same answer every time: “However you are comfortable is the best way.”

That’s not political spin. That’s practical advice from someone who’s talked to thousands of voters.

I’ve met 85-year-old Republicans who can’t stand in long lines. I’ve talked to working moms who need to vote while juggling a full schedule. These aren’t lazy voters or cheaters. These are our neighbors who want to participate in democracy without jumping through unnecessary hoops.

Scott Presler gets this. The guy who helped deliver Pennsylvania for Trump traveled around the country trying to dispel the harmful notion that conservatives shouldn’t use early voting or mail ballots.

He understood something that too many pundits miss: you can’t win elections by making it harder for your own voters to vote.

My Personal Voting Method

Personally, I take my mail ballot to a drop box. I can fill it out at home, research the candidates without pressure, double-check my choices, and then personally put it in the drop box. I track it online so I know exactly when it’s been counted. No standing in line. No rushing through decisions. No pressure because it’s already done.

This works for me. But here’s the key difference between what I support and what Nevada currently does: I think this should be an opt-in option, just like absentee ballots or language preference choices are.

The Real Problem Isn’t Voting Options

The National Review article points out that Republican groups spent millions encouraging GOP voters to use mail and early voting in 2024. Good! It worked. Nevada Republicans cast more than 247,000 early votes and 202,000 mail ballots. We won Nevada for the first time since 2004.

But that doesn’t mean we have to love Nevada’s wasteful universal mail ballot system. There’s a huge difference between supporting voting options and automatically mailing millions of ballots to every address whether people want them or not.

When I’m canvassing, I see those ballot envelopes scattered around apartment complexes, stuffed in mailboxes at old addresses, and sitting in dumpsters. That’s our tax money at work. That’s not security — that’s waste.

What the Secretary of State Won’t Tell You

Here’s what really bothers me about the current system. The Nevada Secretary of State’s office is investigating over 300 cases of potential voter fraud from the 2024 election, but they dismiss 86 percent of fraud complaints as “not actually violations.”

When obvious problems are reported: like multiple ballots going to vacant houses or people getting ballots for previous tenants, it gets dismissed as not really a problem. That’s not building trust. That’s avoiding accountability.

Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar says many reports come from: “a lack of understanding of the law or an attempt to overwhelm our office with unfounded allegations.”

Maybe. Or maybe when you’re mailing millions of ballots everywhere, you create problems you don’t want to acknowledge.

Pundit Misses the Point

A political pundit who loves to point out contradictions in Republican messaging about voting methods thinks he’s caught us in some kind of hypocrisy because we encouraged Republicans to vote early and by mail, but now we’re critical of the universal mail ballot system.

He’s missing the point entirely. Supporting voting options isn’t the same as supporting wasteful, poorly managed systems. I can think early voting is great, while also believing we shouldn’t be mailing ballots to every address in Nevada automatically.

What Real Reform Looks Like

Governor Lombardo tried to fix this in 2023 with common-sense reforms. His legislation would have ended universal mail ballots while keeping early voting and targeted absentee voting for people who need it. Democrats wouldn’t even give it a hearing.

When they blocked reform in the legislature, Lombardo took the issue to voters with a ballot measure. Voter ID passed with 73 percent support in 2024. That’s not because Nevadans want to suppress votes. It’s because they want elections they can trust.

Here’s what I support: Make mail ballots an opt-in choice, like absentee voting already is in most states. Keep early voting — it’s been a conservative favorite for decades, especially among seniors. Require ID to build confidence. Clean up voter rolls before elections, not months afterward.

Building Trust, Not Fear

The goal should be making elections trustworthy, not making voting harder. When conservative activists like Scott Presler encourage voting, that’s good strategy. When election officials dismiss legitimate concerns about ballot security, that’s bad governance.

I want my conservative neighbors to vote however they’re comfortable. But I also want systems that don’t waste taxpayer money and create unnecessary security risks. Those aren’t contradictory positions.

Critics can keep playing gotcha games about Republican messaging. Meanwhile, those of us actually talking to voters know the real issue: people want elections that are both accessible and secure. Nevada can have both with the right reforms.

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Brittany Sheehan is a Las Vegas-based mother, policy advocate and grassroots leader. She is active in local politics, successful in campaign work and passionate about liberty.