Dear Editor,

To the voters for Mineral County, one of the most precious rights we have is the right to vote and to have our votes counted.  Unfortunately, due to what appears to be a deliberate act, 176 of our votes did not count.  Vote tampering is a felony and this situation needs to be investigated.

However I see no such investigation.  Why?  Who is responsible for the investigation?  Should it be our District Attorney, the Secretary of State, or the Nevada Attorney General?  No one wants to talk about it or even care.  Nevada law has a provision for a new election if it can be demonstrated the vote process was in some way tainted.  That information was published in our local paper when this issue first came to light.  I believe it is time we as voters demanded a new election.

You can contact our District Attorney and demand an investigation and criminal prosecution of anyone responsible.  You can also contact the Secretary of State at 101 N. Carson, Suite 3, Carson City, Nevada 89701 or call the Elections Division at 775-684-5705 and demand your vote be counted.  We have a right to a new election, demand it.  Don’t let this be swept under the rug.

I have filed a complaint with the U.S. Justice Department Elections Division against Mineral County for vote tampering.  It may not help but it can’t hurt.  You can do the same by going to the U.S. Department of Justice Elections Complaint Report. It’s easy.  They provide a complaint form. Simply fill in the blanks and hit send.

James Essenpreis

Walker Lake

Dear Editor

I would like to start out by saying that my right to vote is one of the most important civil rights I have, being a citizen of Mineral County, as well as a citizen of the United States of America.  That civil right has been violated by the individual(s) responsible for counting the ballots improperly and not performing the checks and balances procedures to insure every vote was counted and submitted for the 2014 election.  It was brought to the attention of the residents in Mineral County recently that the ballots on one specific machine used in the 2014 election process was tampered with and ALL of the ballots entered into that voting machine were NOT counted into the election!  All 176 ballots that were entered into that specific voting machine under question had absolutely NO say in the election process.  Simply put, “Those votes did not count!”  I believe this was a purposeful act to defraud the voting process and results of the 2014 election in Mineral County.  The information we have been given so far is that the voter cartridge from the voting machine in question read “0”, but the printer rolls from this specific machine showed 176 ballots not counted.

According to NRS 293.465, Loss or destruction of ballots, or other cause preventing election in precinct or district; new election.  This means a new election should be ordered due to the tampering of the ballots according to the law.  It is time to do the right thing and correct the wrongs done to the residents of this county who expressed their right to vote.  I have observed that if certain situations do not fit into the “agendas” of certain individuals, than these individuals create their own rules to accommodate their wants and needs.  There are laws in place for a reason and NO ONE is above the law or has the right to ignore these laws in order to fulfill their own personal agenda.  Every voter who cast their ballot must have their votes counted!!  EVERY candidate who was on the 2014 election ballot has the right to know the truth!  It is time for the elected leaders in this community to be accountable for their actions and decisions because they are affecting ALL of us who reside in this county.  The bullying, rumors and lies must stop!

Cheri Handte

Walker Lake