Nevada is nationally known for entertainment. But what attracts the public are shows on the Strip, and not waiting days for the election results.

I’m writing this on election day. Still, I can confidently predict this: The winner of some Nevada races won’t be clear on election night.

Okay, I cheated. That’s not much of a prediction. Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar recently issued a press release regarding the “timeline of results.”

Under the schedule, the first vote totals officials release will come from ballots collected before Election Day and from in-person early voting. The personal results from Election Day are then tabulated and announced. Most of that should be known by election night or at least early in the morning. So why does he need to publish a ‘timeline’?

That’s because there is more. Officials will accept mail-in ballots postmarked by Tuesday if they arrive Saturday. If a mail-in ballot is not postmarked, officials will accept it if it arrives by Friday. If the election is very close, it could come down to signature treatments. That deadline is the Tuesday after the elections. If a mail-in ballot has a signature mismatch, officials will contact the voter. If the voter confirms that it was his or her ballot, the signature is “cured.”

There are two big problems.

First, election officials do not have control over all ballots on election night. It’s likely that the U.S. Post Office will have tens of thousands of completed ballots after Election Day. That is a major safety risk. Those ballots can be destroyed by someone who thinks mail-in ballots will favor their political opponents. Ballots can also be added after the election is over.

Now the left likes to claim that widespread voter fraud is a myth. It’s a meaningless statement because “widespread” is a lame word. What is clear is that this is a security risk. You wouldn’t put your money in a bank that didn’t know where your money was for days. Nevada election officials need to know where all ballots are once the polls close.

Second, this delay erodes public confidence in the integrity of Nevada’s election system — even if no cheating is involved. People understand these vulnerabilities, even if officials don’t want to acknowledge them.

In recent elections, late mail has disproportionately helped Democrats. A Republican candidate can be in the lead for days, but if the mail arrives too late, a Democrat can emerge victorious. That’s exactly what happened to Republican Adam Laxalt when he ultimately lost to Senator Catherine Cortez Masto in 2022. But this should not be a partisan issue. This would be just as problematic if late-arriving mail helped Republicans.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Florida routinely posts the vast majority of its results within a few hours. One difference is that Florida ballots must be received before Election Day. Nevada should do the same.

Surprise twists are great in movies. But when they show up in late election results, people understandably wonder about the integrity of the system. Nevadans should know who won our elections on election night.

Victor Joecks’ column appears every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday in the Opinion section. Contact him at [email protected] or 702-383-4698. To follow @victorjoecks on X.