<div id="js-Story-Headline-0" class="index_storyTitle__N_OI index_storyHeadlineContainer__1BQ2" style="position: relative; overflow: hidden; border: 0px none; margin: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: bolder; font-family: "Open Sans Extrabold"; padding: 50px 15px 15px; color: rgb(18, 18, 18); font-size: 20px; letter-spacing: -0.5px; line-height: 24px;"><h1 class="index_storyHeadlineText__2Cb8" style="padding: 0px; border: 0px none; margin: 0px; font-size: 28px; line-height: 36px; font-family: "Open Sans";">Nevada Secretary of State: No discussions with members of Congress on election</h1><hr class="index_storyHeadlineRule__2HhJ" style="height: 1px; background-color: rgb(237, 237, 237); padding: 0px; border: 0px none; margin: 20px 0px 0px;"></div><p style="margin-top: 26px; margin-bottom: 26px; color: rgb(18, 18, 18); font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="dateline"></span></p><div id="js-Story-Byline-0" class="index_byline__28Ux index_storyBylineContainer__cNiD" style="position: relative; overflow: hidden; border: 0px none; margin: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: "Open Sans"; height: 55px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size:12pt; padding: 0px 0px 20px !important;"><div class="index_bylineTextContainer__1sbt" style="width: 875.688px;"><p class="index_storyBylineText__1hG_" style="border: 0px none; font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); display: inline;">by Matthew Seeman</p><time datetime="2020-11-17T18:42:01.000Z" class="index_storyDatelineText__gM8K" style="padding: 0px; border: 0px none; margin: 0px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">Wednesday, November 18th 2020</time></div></div><p style="margin-top: 26px; margin-bottom: 26px; color: rgb(18, 18, 18); font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="dateline">LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — </span>Nevada's Secretary of State says she has not spoken with any members of Congress about <a href="https://news3lv.com/news/local/nevada-begins-certifying-vote" target="_blank" title="https://news3lv.com/news/local/nevada-begins-certifying-vote" class="themeColorForLinks" style="color: rgb(27, 137, 255) !important;">certifying the results of the 2020 general election</a>.</p><p style="margin-top: 26px; margin-bottom: 26px; color: rgb(18, 18, 18); font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The statement from Barbara Cegavske came after Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, told reporters Tuesday that he spoke with elections officials in Nevada and Arizona.</p><p style="margin-top: 26px; margin-bottom: 26px; color: rgb(18, 18, 18); font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://twitter.com/lindsaywise/status/1328758135444615168" target="_blank" title="https://twitter.com/lindsaywise/status/1328758135444615168" class="themeColorForLinks" style="color: rgb(27, 137, 255) !important;">Graham later clarified</a> that he spoke with Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, but that he could not recall with whom he spoke in Nevada.</p><p style="margin-top: 26px; margin-bottom: 26px; color: rgb(18, 18, 18); font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></p><div class="index_storyEmbed__3wV7"><div class="index_twitterEmbed__3PI1" style="display: flex; justify-content: center;"></div></div><p></p><div class="interstory_second_desktop" id="interstory_second_ddb_0" style="width: auto; height: auto; padding: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0; color: rgb(18, 18, 18); font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></div><p style="margin-top: 26px; margin-bottom: 26px; color: rgb(18, 18, 18); font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Cegavske said in her statement that the Secretary of State serves "only a ministerial role in the process of certifying election results" under Nevada law.<br></p><p style="margin-top: 26px; margin-bottom: 26px; color: rgb(18, 18, 18); font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong>RELATED| <a href="https://news3lv.com/news/local/president-trump-incorrectly-tweets-about-ballots-being-thrown-out-in-clark-county" target="_blank" title="https://news3lv.com/news/local/president-trump-incorrectly-tweets-about-ballots-being-thrown-out-in-clark-county" class="themeColorForLinks" style="color: rgb(27, 137, 255) !important;">President Trump incorrectly tweets about ballots being 'thrown out' in Clark County</a></strong></p><p style="margin-top: 26px; margin-bottom: 26px; color: rgb(18, 18, 18); font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The process is instead primarily the responsibility of Nevada's individual counties, she says:<br></p><blockquote style="font-weight: 600; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: -0.5px; margin-top: 26px; margin-right: 80px; margin-bottom: 26px; border-left: 5px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 20px; font-size: 20px; color: rgb(18, 18, 18); font-family: "Open Sans"; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">I have not spoken with Senator Lindsey Graham or any other members of Congress regarding the 2020 general election in Nevada or my role in the post-election certification process. Under Nevada law (NRS 293.395), the Secretary of State plays only a ministerial role in the process of certifying election returns. Nevada's election returns are certified by the county commissioners in each of Nevada’' seventeen counties. The returns are then summarized in an abstract of votes, at which point the abstracts of votes are certified by the seventeen county election officials and transmitted to my office. I then present the abstracts to the members of the Nevada Supreme Court who canvass the votes for federal, statewide, and legislative offices. At no point do I, as Secretary of State, have the authority to certify or not certify election results. Ultimately, it is the Governor who declares the outcomes and issues certificates of election.</blockquote><p style="margin-top: 26px; margin-bottom: 26px; color: rgb(18, 18, 18); font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Graham has faced scrutiny after Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/officials-hand-tally-of-presidential-race-finds-new-ballots/2020/11/16/7625edb0-2879-11eb-9c21-3cc501d0981f_story.html" target="_blank" title="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/officials-hand-tally-of-presidential-race-finds-new-ballots/2020/11/16/7625edb0-2879-11eb-9c21-3cc501d0981f_story.html" class="themeColorForLinks" style="color: rgb(27, 137, 255) !important;">told The Washington Post</a> that Graham asked him whether he had the power to reject certain absentee ballots.</p><p style="margin-top: 26px; margin-bottom: 26px; color: rgb(18, 18, 18); font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></p><div class="index_storyEmbed__3wV7"><div class="index_twitterEmbed__3PI1" style="display: flex; justify-content: center;"></div></div><p></p><p style="margin-top: 26px; color: rgb(18, 18, 18); font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Clark County completed its canvass of the votes on Monday, <a href="https://news3lv.com/news/local/clark-county-commission-certifies-election-results-except-district-c" target="_blank" title="https://news3lv.com/news/local/clark-county-commission-certifies-election-results-except-district-c" class="themeColorForLinks" style="color: rgb(27, 137, 255) !important;">certifying the results of every race</a> except for a county commission seat where the two candidates were separated by a margin of 10 votes.</p>
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