Nevada mailed about 2 million ballots in 2024, with 32% returned at an approx. cost of $12M
Nevada has a universal vote-by-mail system, established in 2021 under a Democrat-controlled Legislature and signed into law by then Governor Steve Sisolak (D), that automatically sends a ballot to every active registered voter for each election.
Nevada currently has approximately 2.13 million active registered voters. Nonpartisan (unaffiliated) voters make up the largest group, representing about 38% of the total—around 811,573 voters—significantly more than either major party, and every single one of them receives a ballot in the mail.
In the 2024 general election, Nevada sent approximately 2.07 million mail ballots to voters, of which about 669,334 were returned (a roughly 32% return rate overall). Nevada does not publish exact mail ballot return rates broken down by party affiliation, but based on turnout composition, historical patterns, and national benchmarks adjusted for the state's universal vote-by-mail system, reasonable estimates indicate that Republicans returned 75% of their mailed ballots, Democrats returned 78%, and nonpartisans returned 65%. These approximations reflect Democrats' historically higher use of mail voting, Republicans' slightly lower rates, and nonpartisans' typically reduced participation due to less targeted mobilization.
In the 2024 general election, approximately 1.4 million mail ballots sent to Nevada voters were not returned, as many residents opted to vote in person or chose not to participate at all. While the state does not publish a single exact statewide cost for mailing ballots to all voters, since election administration tasks like printing, assembly, outbound postage, and prepaid return envelopes are handled primarily at the county level and funded through a mix of state and local budgets, Nevada law (NRS 293.323) mandates that counties cover prepaid first-class postage on return envelopes so voters pay nothing to mail them back, and outbound ballots are generally sent via USPS at standard first-class or bulk discounted rates. Typical per-ballot mailing costs (around $2.00 total for outbound postage plus prepaid return, based on 2024 USPS rates of roughly $0.78 per piece with bulk savings) suggest a statewide postage expense of about $4 million for the roughly 2.07 million ballots mailed. When including additional expenses such as printing ballots (often $1.50 per ballot depending on complexity and volume), envelopes, assembly, labor, handling, and related processing, the total estimated cost to taxpayers for the universal mail ballot component of the 2024 general election falls in the range of $10 million to $12 million (with Clark County, holding the majority of voters, bearing a significant share), though precise totals vary by county contracts, economies of scale, and any state reimbursements or federal aid; overall election administration costs (including in-person elements) are higher and shared between state and local funds.
Universal vote-by-mail systems continues to draw scrutiny amid ongoing federal debates over the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act. While the bill, passed by the House in February 2026 and now stalled in the Senate amid Democratic opposition, does not outright ban mail ballots, it would impose major restrictions by ending automatic mailing in universal systems (requiring per-election applications instead), mandating in-person submission of documentary proof of U.S. citizenship for mail registration, and requiring voters to enclose copies of citizenship or photo ID documents with both ballot requests and returned ballots.
Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar (D) has criticized the legislation as unnecessary, burdensome, expensive, and potentially disruptive to mail voting, emphasizing that Nevada already has strong safeguards like citizenship proof at registration and signature verification, and describing it as a solution to a nonexistent problem rooted in election conspiracies. Governor Joe Lombardo (R) has advocated for targeted reforms, such as voter ID requirements, to enhance election security without eliminating universal mail ballots, while supporting commonsense measures to build voter confidence. State officials recently approved new regulations to improve mail ballot tracking, voter roll maintenance, and post-election processes ahead of the 2026 midterms, highlighting the continued effort to balance voter access, cost efficiency, and election integrity in the state.
