Cisco Aguilar

For Cisco Aguilar, the job of Secretary of State is that of a referee. Perhaps that mindset originated from his years as chairman of the Nevada Athletic Commission. Perhaps it comes from the teachings of his grandfather, a union leader in the Nevada mines, who taught him to speak up for his community. All of these reasons led Aguilar to prioritize his role as the state’s regulator of election integrity since his inauguration in 2023, and he has tried to do it with “optimism.”

Many top election officials across Nevada’s 17 counties stepped down between the 2020 election and 2022 midterms, with several citing election threats. In response, Aguilar championed an election workers protection bill, which passed the state legislature unanimously in 2023. The law is intended to protect election workers—who Aguilar calls the “unsung heroes of our democracy”—from harassment and makes it a felony to doxx them.

Aguilar has also launched efforts to find more poll workers, including a partnership with Vet the Vote, which recruits veterans and military family members, and taken on initiatives to boost voter turnout among Nevada’s native communities and young voters. He is also utilizing his background in sports to push for Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders, to be available as a voting location this fall.

Nevada is one of just a handful of swing states in the presidential race, increasing the chances that its handling of the general elections could come under a national spotlight. Aguilar, a Democrat, calls Nevada a “deeply purple” state, and views engaging in conversations across the aisle as key to fostering trust in its elections. “We can't let the negative folks take over what this is, because this is about optimism…and this is about being decent,” he says. “You’ve got to make it contagious to get people to want to care about the future.”

Watch THE OFFICIALS, a documentary on election officials preparing for a contentious 2024 election, here