County officials claim no one was in the room while the cameras were down.
QUICK FACTS:
- Cameras live-streaming the Washoe County, Nevada ballot counting rooms went dark later in the evening on November 9th and stayed off until around 8 a.m. the next morning.
- Four cameras were live-streaming the ballot counting until after the staff went home for the evening.
- The computer application streaming video of the room lost service around 11:24 p.m. and didn’t come on until around 7:53 a.m.
- Staff returned to the office at 7 a.m. on Thursday.
- County officials told reporters they reviewed security footage and said no one entered the ballot room or registrar’s office while the cameras were down.
STATEMENT FROM COUNTY OFFICIALS:
- “The courtesy cameras are connected to a computer application designed for livestream events. They intermittently lose connection with the application. When this has happened before, such as on Election Night when one camera went dark, staff was able to see the disruption and restore it. These cameras are not security or surveillance grade cameras,” Washoe County Communications Manager Bethany Drysdale said about the incident.
- “The Washoe County security administrator has reviewed the building’s security cameras. According to the Washoe County security administrator, that footage shows the parking garage, the hallway between the garage, and the entry doors to the Registrar’s Office. He has affirmed that no one entered the ballot room or Registrar’s Office during the time that the courtesy livestream was down. Security and Technology Services is working to put that footage into a viewable file that can be provided to the public,” the communications officer went on. “Staff badge reports have also been pulled to ensure that no one entered the area during that time, with none found.”
BACKGROUND:
- Midterm elections saw overwhelmingly positive results for district attorney races backed by billionaire liberal backer George Soros.
- Four prosecutor candidates who received financial support from Soros won their election, two of whom were new candidates, and two were backed by the wealthy philanthropist in the past.
- Soros has also put significant funds into groups calling to abolish the police and helped create a group that reviews “alternatives to policing in the context of police abolitionist frameworks.”
