Storey County clerk-treasurer cracks top 10 in ‘most dangerous election deniers’ list

Election denier and Storey County Clerk-Treasurer Jim Hindle placed eighth in a “America’s Top 10 Most Dangerous Election Deniers” list published by All Voting is Local, a nonpartisan organization that advocates for free and fair elections.

Hindle, alongside Nevada State Republican Party Chairman Michael McDonald, James DeGraffenreid, Jesse Law, Shawn Meehan and Eileen Rice were indicted by Nevada Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford in 2023 for their role in Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election which he lost. The case was dismissed over jurisdictional issues, but then revived on appeal, and another evidentiary hearing is scheduled for April 10.

All six have pleaded not guilty. 

Storey County voted for Trump in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential elections, each by generous margins. Hindle was elected as clerk-treasurer in the county in June, 2022.

As an elected official in charge of overseeing elections, Hindle must be “duty-bound to his constituents first and follow the Constitution and state law, not the whims and conspiracy theories of the president,” said Kerry Durmick, Nevada State Director of All Voting is Local. 

“As the Trump administration’s efforts to spread lies about the 2020 election to threaten and undermine our votes in the midterms grow, it is critical that we call attention to election deniers like Hindle. It’s up to us to hold him accountable and ensure he cannot seize control of election outcomes,” Durmick added. 

The complete “America’s Top 10 Most Dangerous Election Deniers” list:

1. Donald J. Trump, U.S. President
2. The U.S. Department of Justice
3. Pam Bondi, U.S. Attorney General
4. Heather Honey, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Election Integrity, Department of Homeland Security
5. Janice Johnston, Janelle King, Salleigh Grubbs, and James Mills, Georgia State Election Board appointees and executive director
6. Josh Parsons, Lancaster County Commissioner, Pennsylvania
7. Bob Spindell, Wisconsin Elections Commissioner
8. Jim Hindle, Storey County Clerk, Nevada
9. Justin Heap, Maricopa County Recorder, Arizona
10.  Ron DeSantis, Governor, Florida

On Thursday, Bondi was fired by Trump and will be replaced, for now, by Trump’s former personal defense lawyer Todd Blanche, who serves as the deputy attorney general.

Individuals who were placed on the list have “taken steps that could alter election outcomes,” All Voting is Local said in the group’s announcement, with examples including “refusing to certify elections, remaining silent in the face of violent political rhetoric” and supporting legislative efforts like the SAVE America Act, which aims to make sweeping changes on voter registration in response to unfounded claims by Trump and other Republicans of rampant voter fraud and noncitizen voting. 

Research demonstrates that claims of voter fraud are rare and inconsequential to the outcome of elections. Multiple studies, including one from the conservative Heritage Foundation, have found noncitizen voting is exceedingly rare.

“This election-denying authoritarian regime, led by Trump and supported by fake electors and conspiracy theorists, is desperately trying to stop people from voting so they can seize more power and control our elections before we reach the polls,” said All Voting is Local Executive Vice President Cynthia Travieso.