Two former Nevada Republican congressmen said Wednesday evening that they have faith in the sanctity of the state’s elections, but that recent changes could increase the public’s distrust in the election system.
Reps. Joe Heck and Jon Porter joined former Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV) and Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, a Democrat, on a panel that previewed how election integrity discussions may play out this year, with less than 90 days before Election Day.
The roughly hourlong event at UNLV included discussions on political polarization, mail ballots, so-called “ballot harvesting” and foreign interference in elections. About two dozen people attended the event, with some appearing to doubt the security of Nevada’s electoral system.
There is no evidence that widespread election fraud has occurred in Nevada or the rest of the country, despite myriad claims made by former President Donald Trump and other top Republicans. GOP officials have also tamped down their opposition to certain election procedures — particularly voting by mail, which has been endorsed by Trump’s campaign this year — and most Republicans running in this year’s Nevada primaries have stayed away from explicitly campaigning on election integrity.