1. The election returns from a special election, primary city election or general city election must be filed with the city clerk, who shall immediately place the returns in a safe or vault designated by the city clerk. No person may handle, inspect or in any manner interfere with the returns until they are canvassed by the mayor and the governing body of the city.

2. After the governing body of a city receives the returns from all the precincts and districts in the city, it shall meet with the mayor to canvass the returns. The canvass must be completed on or before the 10th day following the election.

3. In completing the canvass of the returns, the governing body of the city and the mayor shall:

(a) Note separately any clerical errors discovered; and

(b) Take account of the changes resulting from the discovery, so that the result declared represents the true vote cast.

4. After the canvass is completed, the governing body of the city and mayor shall declare the result of the canvass.

5. The city clerk shall enter upon the records of the governing body of the city an abstract of the result. The abstract must be prepared in the manner prescribed by regulations adopted by the Secretary of State and must contain the number of votes cast for each candidate.

6. After the abstract is entered, the:

(a) City clerk shall seal the election returns, maintain them in a vault for at least 22 months and give no person access to them during that period, unless access is ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction or by the governing body of the city.

(b) Governing body of the city shall, by an order made and entered in the minutes of its proceedings, cause the city clerk to:

(1) Certify the abstract;

(2) Make a copy of the certified abstract;

(3) Make a mechanized report of the abstract in compliance with regulations adopted by the Secretary of State;

(4) Transmit a copy of the certified abstract and the mechanized report of the abstract to the Secretary of State within 7 working days after the election; and

(5) Transmit on paper or by electronic means to each public library in the city, or post on a website maintained by the city or the city clerk on the Internet or its successor, if any, a copy of the certified abstract within 30 days after the election.

7. After the abstract of the results from a:

(a) Primary city election has been certified, the city clerk shall certify the name of each person nominated and the name of the office for which the person is nominated.

(b) General city election has been certified, the city clerk shall:

(1) Issue under his or her hand and official seal to each person elected a certificate of election; and

(2) Deliver the certificate to the persons elected upon their application at the office of the city clerk.

8. The officers elected to the governing body of the city qualify and enter upon the discharge of their respective duties on the first regular meeting of that body next succeeding that in which the canvass of returns was made pursuant to subsection 2.

(Added to NRS by 1997, 3439; A 2003, 2256; 2007, 622; 2009, 519; 2019, 4119, effective January 1, 2020)