Election to become official with canvass and electoral vote

Nevada’s election results will become official after two upcoming meetings are held before year’s end: the official canvass of the vote and the electoral college vote.

The canvass is held on the fourth Tuesday of November following the General Election. That’s when the seven members of the Nevada Supreme Court meet with Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske to certify the results of the election, thereby making it official.

That will happen at 9 a.m., Nov. 22 in the old Supreme Court upstairs in the state Capitol.

That will be followed Dec. 19 when Nevada’s members of the Electoral College cast their ballots for president.

Secretary of State elections deputy Wayne Thorley said both major parties submitted the names of their six electors, one for each Nevada member of the House and U.S. Senate, well before the election.

He said since Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in Nevada, it will be the Democratic list who meets and votes that date. Rather than all 535 Electoral College electors going to Washington D.C. for that vote, they meet in each state capitol so that vote will take place in the capitol as well.

He said under Nevada law, they’re required to vote for Clinton and Tim Kaine.

“If one of them refuses to do it, they will be dismissed and we’ll bring in an alternate,” he said. “I know there’s been talk about that in other states but that will not happen here.”

The six Democratic electors are Paul Catha II, Greg Gardella and Theresa Benitez-Thompson of Reno, Joetta Brown of Minden, Larry Jackson of Fallon and Dayananda Prabhu Rachakonda of Las Vegas.