SOS mistakenly sends Nevada primary results early

SOS mistakenly – Nevada’s secretary of state accidentally sent primary election result data to a news server about three hours before polls closed, forcing the outlet to hold back publishing. The office later said it uploaded partial results from nine counties into a secure te

Election Day in Nevada begins with familiar sounds—doors opening at 7 a.m., lines forming, voters checking their phones for hours and locations—until the clock turns and something doesn’t add up.

At 6:25 p.m. Tuesday. the secretary of state’s office erroneously sent primary election result data to a Nevada Independent server three hours before polls closed at 7 p.m. The Indy. like other news outlets. has an agreement with the secretary of state’s office that allows it to receive election results as they come in. It set up a server to receive files from the office.

Nevada law draws a hard line: election results cannot be released until after everyone in line at a polling place at 7 p.m. has voted. The law also treats the release of certain results differently—mail ballot results are a misdemeanor. and releasing early voting results before polls close is a gross misdemeanor. Because of those restrictions, the Indy did not publish the data it received.

What happened next is where the timing becomes the story. Typically. the secretary of state’s office sends test data to the Indy’s server. which does not include real results. However, that did not happen this year. At about 4 p.m. Tuesday. several files were sent to the Indy’s server in a folder called “/2026StatewidePrimary.” Those files appeared to include election results from several rural counties and Washoe County. totaling about 65. 000 votes.

Around 5:15 p.m., the files were removed from the server after Indy representatives reached out to the office. The data was never published online.

In a statement. the secretary of state’s office said it uploads data to a secure testing environment so that results can be released as soon as Nevada law allows. The office said it uploaded partial results from nine counties to this testing environment “giving press inadvertent access to this information for less than an hour.” It added: “Once the office was made aware of this issue. access to the data was disabled. ” and that the office was addressing the issue internally while communicating with the Governor and Attorney General and continuing to improve the security and the efficiency of election processes.

The incident landed while voters were still finishing their day at the polls. Even after 7 p.m., results had not been released because voters were still casting ballots. As of 7 p.m., Washoe County officials indicated Billinghurst Middle School had a roughly 80 minute wait time. State law, again, requires that no results be posted until the last voter in Nevada has cast a ballot.

Outside the technical problem, voters were still weighing what today’s ballots could change. On Tuesday evening, dozens of Northern Nevadans gathered at the Washoe County Administration Complex to cast their ballots. Growth, infrastructure, and energy use were among the top issues. Ether Collins. a 30-year-old farmer. said Nevada’s relationship with the federal government shaped how they view the state’s political leadership. Collins. who said they identify as a progressive and were voting for Democratic candidates—including Aaron Ford in the Democratic gubernatorial primary—said they believed a Republican governor would better position Nevada in dealings with Washington. “States with Republican governors are being less targeted by the Trump administration for cuts,” Collins said. “And I think that protects us.”.

For 71-year-old retiree Stefan Gonzalez, the expansion of data centers across Northern Nevada was front and center. “Data centers are a substantial waste, not only for water and cooling, but for electricity,” Gonzalez said. “This will not be benefitting local residents as they pick the residents’ pockets to pay for electrical consumption.”.

Earlier in the day, turnout in parts of Southern Nevada appeared quiet. The Galleria at Sunset mall was notably quiet. with only a trickle of voters passing through. while at UNLV’s Student Union there was a steady mix of students and community members casting ballots. Carla Ruiz, 42, said she came to the Galleria to vote on issues she believes matter most to her family. “I was born and raised here in Nevada. My family has been here for decades,” Ruiz said. “My mom was able to raise a family here. but now. as a single mother. it feels like every election that passes doesn’t make our lives any easier. The cost of living is getting out of hand. I want someone in charge who will not only say, but take action on what matters most in this state.”.

In Reno. voting began with movement at Jessie Beck Elementary School. where retirees. families. and first-time voters streamed in Tuesday morning. Among them was Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill. who cast her ballot alongside family members as she seeks the Democratic nomination for governor. Hill said, “We were able to connect with people by texting them, phone calls and phone banking. There are so many Nevadans who are hungry for new leadership. who are hungry to hear about a leader who wants to invest in them and has a plan for them in the state.” As of 9 a.m. more than 840 people had voted throughout Washoe County. according to a report by the county clerk.

Even as the day moved forward—polls opening at 7 a.m. and scheduled to close at 7 p.m., with people still allowed to vote if they are in line by that time—the election’s most sensitive moment wasn’t the turnout. It was the release.

By the time the state’s office disabled access to the early data. the Indy had already decided to treat the moment like a test it couldn’t publish. The clock still mattered; the law still mattered. And for voters at places like Billinghurst Middle School. the wait time near 7 p.m.—about 80 minutes—meant the story of Election Day stayed firmly in the line. not the dashboard.

Nevada primary secretary of state election results polls close 7 p.m. Washoe County Billinghurst Middle School election law mail ballot results early voting results