In a curious turn of events, Jamie Rodriguez, Washoe County Registrar of Voters, submitted her resignation today, less than a month before early voting commences for the February 6th presidential preference primary.
In her resignation letter secured by the News4 team, Ms. Rodriguez states:
I believe that the work done over the last year has increased efficiency of the department and the ability to continue running successful and secure elections for Washoe County. The team put together in the Registrar of Voters office is capable of doing to work needed to continue moving the department forward.
Additional information about the challenges the Registrar’s office has faced over the past couple of years can be found here.
The timing of this announcement is interesting as it comes on the heels of an an appeal sent to the Secretary of State office when the Committees to Recall Trustees Dent and Schmitz found an unacceptable amount of inconsistencies in the Registrar’s handling of the signatures received in support of the recall campaigns.
Ms. Rodriguez is the person who oversaw the Recall signature verification process and is believed to have been ultimately responsible for ensuring signature integrity. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Had the process been done properly, the Committees to Recall Trustees Dent and Schmitz believe they would have been successful in securing a recall election.
This is why an appeal was filed with the Secretary of State and the Committees await a ruling to ensure every voters voice can be heard.