Nevadans will vote on two ballot initiatives this November that could amend Nevada’s Constitution to implement stricter voter ID laws and protect reproductive rights.
Here’s a breakdown of what’s on the ballot — and what a “yes” or “no” vote would mean.
Voter ID
Question 7 will reappear on this year’s ballot for a final vote, after receiving roughly 73% support in 2024. As a proposed constitutional amendment, it must pass in two consecutive general elections. If it passes again this year, the state’s constitution would require voters to present a government-issued photo ID in all future elections.
This could include:
- A Nevada driver’s license
- U.S. passport
- Student photo ID issued by a university or college campus
- Nevada concealed firearms permit
- Tribal photo ID
For mail-in ballots, voters would need to provide the last four digits of their Nevada driver’s license number. Voters without one would need to provide the last four digits of their Social Security number — or, lacking that, the number provided by the county clerk when they registered to vote.
The voter ID amendment is majorly supported by Gov. Joe Lombardo and President Donald Trump as part of a national push among Republicans for stricter voter ID laws. Advocates contend the proposed law would restore trust in election administration.
Nevada, however, is already ranked second in the nation for election administration, according to MIT’s Election Performance Index — meaning the Silver State is a national leader in safe, accessible and secure elections.
Opponents of the measure argue this proposed amendment would change Nevada’s voting system entirely — and that it would disenfranchise voters of color.
Reproductive rights
Question 6 will also reappear on this year’s ballot, after passing in 2024 with about 64% of the vote. Like the voter ID initiative, it must pass in two consecutive general elections to take effect.
If passed, the right to an abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy would be enshrined in the state’s constitution. The measure follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 overturn of Roe v. Wade, after which a wave of conservative states enacted stricter abortion laws — in some cases, total bans.
Lindsey Harmon, president of Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom, has said the measure would double down on reproductive freedom protections in the Silver State. Once written into the constitution, the right would be far more difficult to overturn than a standard state law.
Opponents of the measure argue the initiative is a fearmongering tactic, and that Democrats are using reproductive freedom as “political fodder.”
How to vote
Early voting begins Saturday, Oct. 17 and runs through Friday, Oct. 30.
Nevadans can also vote on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nevada allows same-day voter registration, and anyone in line by 7 p.m. can still vote, even after polls close.
To vote by mail, voter registration must be completed 14 days before the election. Voters can mail ballots at a polling location or county clerk’s office by 7 p.m. on Election Day for it to count. Mail ballots must be postmarked on or before Nov. 3 and received by the fourth day after the election by 5 p.m.
