Republican nominee Jim Marchant is campaigning for Nevada’s secretary of state position with a platform centered on a complete transformation of the state’s electoral procedures. A self-declared “election denier,” Marchant frames the label as a badge of honor, arguing that he is merely questioning a system that lacks public confidence. His primary challenger is the Democratic incumbent, Cisco Aguilar.
Marchant’s skepticism of the electoral process began in 2010 during a U.S. Senate race between Harry Reid and Sharron Angle. While riding dirt bikes in the desert, Marchant remarked that he believed Angle would win, only for an acquaintance to wager that Reid would prevail—which he ultimately did by 5.6 percentage points. For Marchant, this represented a significant polling discrepancy and the start of a long-term project to document what he characterizes as systemic election fraud, despite consistent legal failures to substantiate these claims in court.
Marchant claims his compiled evidence is now being reviewed by the Trump administration’s Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Whether this will impact his campaign remains uncertain; Marchant has stated that his electoral success is contingent upon the success of Donald Trump’s own efforts to restrict mail-in ballots and enforce new voter ID requirements.
Proposed Electoral Reforms
Should he be elected, Marchant intends to fundamentally dismantle existing protocols and replace them with a system designed by his office. His platform includes the following initiatives
- Voter RollsHe proposes purging the current voter registry and mandating that all Nevada voters reregister with strict oversight from the secretary of state.
- Voting MachinesHe aims to phase out electronic voting technology entirely in favor of traditional paper ballots.
- Hand CountingHe would require all ballots to be counted by hand.
- Voter IDHe seeks to mandate photo identification for all voters, specifically requiring documentation of citizenship.
- Mail-in BallotsHe plans to terminate the state’s current practice of sending ballots to every voter, requiring individuals to opt in if they wish to vote by mail.
Marchant believes that statutory loopholes regarding the secretary of state’s authority may allow him to implement these changes, noting that state law currently states he “may” use voting machines rather than “shall.” If legal hurdles remain, he intends to introduce a parallel hand-count system to verify the machine tallies.
Financial and Political Challenges
Marchant faces a difficult path to office, marked by a severe lack of campaign funding and limited support from the Republican establishment. Financial filings from July indicate that incumbent Cisco Aguilar has raised over $1 million, compared to Marchant’s total of just under $14. Even when faced with a well-funded primary opponent, Shirley Folkins-Roberts, who raised significantly more capital, Marchant managed to secure the nomination. Donors typically aligned with the Republican Party have largely distanced themselves from his campaign.
Despite this, Bruce Parks, chair of the Washoe County Republican Party, has stated that his organization fully endorses Marchant. Parks argues that while establishment Republicans may dislike Marchant’s focus on the validity of previous elections, the rank-and-file membership remains supportive. He pointed to previous party races where establishment-backed candidates failed to mobilize voters as evidence that the party base favors candidates like Marchant.
Defending the Current System
Incumbent Cisco Aguilar continues to champion the integrity of the current Nevada election system, which the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranked as the second-best in the nation for the 2024 cycle. Aguilar has frequently testified before the state legislature, challenging critics to provide evidence of fraud and asserting that even a single instance would be thoroughly investigated. Meanwhile, public opinion remains divided; a March 2026 Marist poll of 1,600 adults found that approximately 50% believe voter fraud is likely in the current election, while 66% expressed confidence that their local and state governments will conduct accurate, fair elections. The report also notes that the position oversees elections, in addition to the relatively boring area of business licensing. The report also notes that who have concerns about the election system, he said, those who mock his election conspiracy beliefs are out of step with most Americans. The report also notes that down from 76% in 2024, the same survey found that 66% believed their own state and local governments would run fair and accurate elections. The report also notes that joe Lombardo has a good showing in his reelection bid, Marchant could ride in on his coattails. The report also notes that who puts in long hours and many miles relentlessly campaigning, the difference doesn’t faze Marchant. The report also notes that shirley Folkins-Roberts, Marchant’s main Republican primary opponent, raised more than 400 times what he did and he still won.
