ACLU calls for investigation of Nevada vote-count after alleged removal by gun-carrying GOP official

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada is asking the secretary of state's office to investigate a controversial ballot hand-count operation in one of the state's rural counties, with the ACLU claiming that one of its staffers was forcibly removed from observing that process by a gun-carrying Republican official. 

The ACLU said that during observations of Nye County's hand-count operation, "a hand-count volunteer openly carrying a firearm removed an ACLU observer from a hand-count tally room," the Associated Press reported on Thursday. 

The ACLu said it "recently discovered" that the gun-carrying individual "was Nye County GOP Central Committee Vice Chair Laura Larsen," according to the AP. 

“A partisan official from the Nye County GOP Central Committee given free range to roam the halls and remove those engaging in observation violates the core principles underlying free and safe elections and makes an even greater mockery of our democracy,” ACLU of Nevada’s Executive Director Athar Haseebullah told the news outlet.

Nye County officials did not respond to a request for comment from AP, the news wire said. 

The Nye County hand-count, a rare approach to election management in the U.S., was instituted due to concerns of election integrity following allegations of voter malfeasance around the country after the 2020 election. 

The Nevada Secretary of State's office ordered the county to cease its hand-count operation last week, claiming the process violated both state statute and the Nevada Constitution.