County officials in Nevada over the weekend confirmed that cameras live-streaming vote-counting areas on Wednesday night and Thursday morning went dark for a total of eight hours.
“We know that our election livestream cameras went dark overnight. We investigated what happened and how to prevent it happening again,” Washoe County’s Twitter account posted Thursday afternoon.
Unsurprisingly, the tweet went viral, racking up thousands of reactions, which included questions concerning election integrity.
We know that our election livestream cameras went dark overnight. We investigated what happened and how to prevent it happening again. Learn more here: https://t.co/LT8OJkxX3L
— Washoe County (@washoecounty) November 10, 2022
“The livestream computer application lost connection with the courtesy cameras at 11:24 p.m. the evening of November 9,” the county said on its website. “All staff had left for the night about 60 minutes earlier and did not arrive back at the office until 7 a.m. Connection was restored at 7:53 a.m. the morning of November 10.”
“The courtesy cameras are connected to a computer application designed for livestream events,” the county site continued. “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.”
Security footage was also reviewed, the county said. “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.”
Notably, a U.S. Senate race in Nevada was called for the Democrats on Saturday, which meant the Republicans had failed to gain enough seats to take back the majority, since ties are broken by the vice president.
The GOP was hopeful former state Attorney General Adam Laxalt, a Republican, would flip the blue seat by ousting incumbent Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto. Despite Laxalt leading in prior polling, the Republican failed to best the Democrat.
The GOP thought the race was locked up. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC), during a National Republican Senatorial Committee phone call Friday, went as far as to say, “There is no mathematical way Laxalt loses. If he does, then it’s a lie.”
Lindsey Graham suggested on NRSC call yesterday that fraud in NV would be the only way GOP loses.
“There is no mathematical way Laxalt loses,” Graham said. “If he does, then it’s a lie.” https://t.co/g4u15f6n7l
— Natalie Allison (@natalie_allison) November 11, 2022
Questions over election integrity from both sides of the political aisle have dominated news cycles in recent years. One main issue is certainly the influx of vote-by-mail initiatives that lead to vote-counts lingering for days or even weeks after Election Day.
Politico in October acknowledged the shift, declaring, “Election Day is dead. Long live election month.”
Related: Republicans Fail To Take Back The Senate From Democrats