Washoe County voters who plan to return a mail ballot should drop it off in person by Friday, Oct. 30, or risk having it arrive too late to count.

That warning comes from Registrar of Voters Andrew McDonald, who pointed to a concrete problem: 1,837 mail ballots were postmarked after Election Day during the 2026 primary election, according to a Washoe County press release published Wednesday, Oct. 28. Those ballots could not be counted.

The culprit is a change in how the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) moves mail. Under a program called Regional Transportation Optimization (RTO), adjusted transportation schedules mean some mail may not reach a processing facility until the day after it is dropped off, the county said. The postmark then reflects that later date. USPS has not changed its postmarking practices themselves, but the transit delays produce the same result for voters.

Under Nevada law, mail ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day, Nov. 3, and received by 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, to be eligible for counting.

"If you plan to mail your ballot, that is the last day we recommend mailing it," McDonald said of Friday. "Otherwise, take advantage of one of our staffed drop boxes or bring your ballot directly to our office."

Where to drop off a ballot

Twenty drop-off locations are open through Friday at 6 p.m. That includes all 18 early voting centers and two standalone sites at the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony's Pyramid Smoke Shop and Summerset Assisted Living, the county said.

Sparks Library is among the early voting centers open through Friday, according to a separate county announcement published Oct. 26. That location will not serve as a vote center on Election Day.

Early voting centers are open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily through Friday. Voters can cast a ballot at any vote center in the county, regardless of where they live.

On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, the number of drop-off sites jumps to 42 across Washoe County. All 41 vote centers and one additional standalone location will accept mail ballots from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters do not need to check in or wait in the voting line to return a completed mail ballot.

Weekend and Monday hours

The Registrar of Voters office at 1001 E. Ninth St., Building A, will accept ballots between the end of early voting and Election Day on the following schedule, according to the county:

  • Oct. 31 and Nov. 1: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Nov. 2: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Nov. 3 (Election Day): 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

All mail ballots returned in person must arrive by 7 p.m. on Election Day. Ballots cannot be accepted after that deadline, the county said.

A full list of vote center and drop-box locations is available at washoecounty.gov/votecenters. Voters can also call the Registrar of Voters at 775-328-3670.